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HlLDEGARDE    AND    BELL    ON    THE    WHARF. 


HILDEGARDE'S 

.NEIGHBORS 


BY 

LAURA  E.   RICHARDS 

AUTHOR  OF  "QUEEN  HILDEGARDE,"  "HILDEGARDE'S  HOLIDAY,' 
"CAPTAIN  JANUARY,"  ETC. 


CllustratetJ 


BOSTON 
DANA  ESTES  &  COMPANY 

PUBLISHERS 


Copyright,  1895, 
BY  ESTES  AND  LAURIAT 

Education 

GIFT 


Colonial  Press; 

C.  H.  Simonds  &  Co.  -Ceo.  C.  Scott  &  Sons. 
Boston,  Mass.,  U.S.A. 


TO 

M.  C.  G. 

IN    TOKEN    OF   THE   AFFECTION 

OF    MANY    YEARS. 


316 


CONTENTS. 


CHAPTER  PAGE 

I.  THE  ARRIVAL 11 

II.  OLD  FRIENDS  AND  NEW 26 

III.  PUMPKIN  HOUSE 47 

IV.  HESTER'S  PLAYROOM 60 

V.  TEA  AT  ROSEHOLME 79 

VI.  ANOTHER  TEA-PARTY 107 

VII.  IN  GOOD  GREEN  WOOD 126 

VIII.  "  HANDS  ACROSS  THE  SEA  " 144 

IX.  MERRY  WEATHER  INDOORS 158 

X.  A  NEW  LIFE 174 

XL  A  NIGHT-PIECE 192 

XII.  A-SAILING  WE  WILL  Go 205 

XIII.  IN  PERIL  BY  W^ATER 230 

XIV.  ROGER  THE  CODGER       254 

XV.  A  MORNING  HOUR 265 

XVI.  GOOD-BY  276 


LIST  OF  ILLUSTRATIONS. 


Frontispiece 

HlLDEGARDE    AND    BELL    ON    THE    WHARF    (p.  174) 

PAGE 
"SUCH    FUN    WE    HAD, JUST    LIKE    TWO    CONSPIR 


ATORS  ! 


21 


"HE   MADE   A  FRANTIC    EFFORT   TO   CATCH   THE 

TROUT" 32 

READING  HESTER'S  LETTER 74 

GERTRUDE  BREAKS  THE  VASE 102 

" IT  WAS  NOT  GERALD" 139 

THE  MEETING  OF  MADGE  AND  HILDEGARDE    .     .  208 

«!T  WAS  A  BREATHLESS  STRUGGLE" 237 


HILDEGARDE'S  NEIGHBORS. 


CHAPTER  I. 

THE    ARRIVAL. 

"MAMMA,"  said  Hildegarde  Grahame,  flying 
into  her  mother's  room,  "  I  have  news  for 
you,  thrilling  news  !  Guess  what  it  is  !  " 

Mrs.  Grahame  looked  up  from  her  sewing. 

"  The  house  is  on  fire,"  she  said,  quietly, 
"  or  you  have  found  a  Royal  Walnut  Moth ; 
or,  possibly,  Hugh  has  developed  wings  and 
flown  away.  None  of  these  things  would 
greatly  surprise  me ;  but  in  the  first  case  I 
must  take  action,  while  in  either  of  the  others 
I  can  finish  this  seam." 

"Continue  your  prosaic  labours!"  said  the 
girl.  "  The  dress  is  mine,  and  I  want  it." 


12  HILDEGARDE'S  NEIGHBORS. 

She  sat  down,  and  fanned  herself  with 
her  broad  straw  hat.  "  It  is  hot ! "  she  an 
nounced  with  emphasis. 

"And  that  is  the  news?"  said  her  mother. 
"  Astonishing !  I  should  never  have  guessed 
it,  assuredly/' 

"  Madam,  you  are  a  tease  !  The  big  yellow 
house  is  let,  and  the  family  is  moving  in  to 
day,  at  this  moment!  Now,  how  do  you 
feel?" 

"  Much  the  same,  thank  you ! "  was  the 
reply.  "Slight  acceleration  of  the  pulse, 
with  fever-flush ;  nothing  more.  But  it  is 
great  news,  certainly,  Hilda.  Do  you  know 
anything  of  the  people  ?" 

Hildegarde  quoted : 

«'I  saw  them  come;  ,one  horse  was  blind, 
The  tails  of  both  hung  down  behind, 
Their  shoes  were  on  their  feet.' 

"  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Miles  Merry  weather,  six  chil 
dren,  cook,  housemaid  and   seamstress,  two 


HILDEGARDE'S  NEIGHBORS.  13 

dogs,  two  cats  (at  least  the  basket  mewed,  so 
I  infer  cats),  one  canary  bird,  and  fourteen 
trunks." 

"  Do  I  understand  that  Miss  Grahame  has 
been  looking  through  the  gap  in  the  hedge  ?  " 

"  You  do,  madam.  And  oh,  mammina,  it 
was  such  fun !  I  really  could  not  help  it ; 
and  no  one  saw  me  ;  and  they  came  tum 
bling  in  in  such  a  funny,  jolly  way  !  I  rather 
think  we  shall  like  them,  but  it  will  be 
strange  to  have  such  near  neighbours." 

"I  wonder  what  the  Colonel  will  say!" 
Mrs.  Grahame  commented. 

"  He  is  pleased,"  said  Hildegarde  ;  "  actu 
ally  pleased.  He  knows  Mr.  Merry  weather, 
and  likes  him ;  in  fact,  he  has  just  been  tell 
ing  me  about  them." 

"  Hildegarde,  you  are  becoming  a  sad  gos 
sip,"  said  Mrs.  Grahame,  severely.  "  I  think 
you  would  better  sit  down  and  work  these 
buttonholes  at  once." 


14  HILDEGARDE'S  NEIGHBORS. 

"  So  that  I  can  repeat  the  gossip  to  you," 
said  this  impertinent  young  woman,  kissing 
her  mother  lightly  on  the  forehead.  "  Pre 
cisely,  dear  madam.  Where  is  my  thimble  ? 
Oh,  here  !  Where  are  the  buttonholes  ?  Oh, 
there  !  Well,  now  you  shall  hear.  And  I 
fear  I  have  been  a  gossip,  indeed. 

"  It  began  with  obedience  to  my  elders  and 
betters.  You  told  me  to  go  down  and  see 
how  Mrs.  Lankton's  '  neurology '  was ;  and  I 
went.  I  found  the  poor  old  thing  in  bed, 
and  moaning  piteously.  I  am  bound  to  say, 
however,  that  the  moans  did  not  begin  till 
after  I  clicked  the  latch.  It  is  frightful  to 
see  how  suspicious  a  course  of  Mrs.  Lankton 
always  makes  me.  I  went  in,  and  the  room 
was  hermetically  sealed,  with  a  roaring  fire 
in  the  air-tight  stove." 

"To-day!"  exclaimed  Mrs.  Grahame;  "the 
woman  will  die  !  " 

"Not    she!"    said    Hildegarde.     "I   was 


HILDEGARDE'S  NEIGHBORS.  15 

nearly  suffocated,  and  protested,  with  such 
breath  as  I  could  find ;  but  she  said,  '  Oh, 
Miss  Graharne,  my  dear !  you  don't  know 
anything  about  trouble  or  sickness,  and  no 
need  to  before  your  time.  A  breath  of  air, 
my  dear,  is  like  the  bellers  to  my  neurol 
ogy —  the  bellers  itself!  Ah!  I  ain't  closed 
my  eyes,  not  to  speak  of,  since  you  was  here 
last/ 

"I  tried  to  convince  her  that  good  air 
was  better  than  bad,  since  she  must  breathe 
some  kind  of  air ;  but  she  only  shook  her 
head  and  groaned,  and  told  me  about  a 
woman  who  got  into  her  oven  and  shut  the 
door,  and  stayed  there  till  she  was  baked  '  a 
beautiful  light  brown,'  as  Mrs.  Lincoln  says. 
'  'T  was  a  brick  oven,  dear,  such  as  you  don't 
see  'em  nowadays ;  and  she  was  cured  of  her 
neurology,  slick  and  slap ;  but  I  don't  never 
expect  no  such  help  of  mine,  now  Mr. 
Aytoun's  dead  and  gone.  Not  but  what  your 


16  HILDEGARDE'S  NEIGHBORS. 

blessed   ma  is   a   mother   to   me,  and   so   I 
always  tell  the  neighbours.' 

"  Do  you  want  any  more,  missis  ?  I  can 
go  on  indefinitely,  if  you  like.  I  stayed  as 
long  as  I  dared,  and  managed  to  hold  the 
door  open  quite  a  bit,  so  that  a  little  air 
really  did  get  in ;  and  I  gave  her  the  lini 
ment,  and  rubbed  her  poor  old  back,  and 
then  gave  her  a  spoonful  of  jelly,  and  ran. 
That  is  the  first  part  of  my  tale.  Then,  I 
was  coming  home  through  the  Ladies'  Gar 
den,  and  I  found  my  Hugh  playing  Narcissus 
over  a  pool,  and  wondering  whether  freckles 
were  dirt  on  his  soul  that  came  out  in  spots 
—  the  lamb !  And  I  had  to  stay  and  talk 
with  him  a  bit,  and  he  was  so  dear !  And 
then  I  walked  along,  and  just  as  I  came  to 
the  gap  in  the  hedge,  Mrs.  Grahame,  my  dear 
madam,  I  heard  the  sound  of  a  lawn-mower 
on  the  other  side,  and  a  man's  voice  whist 
ling.  This  was  amazing,  and  I  am  human, 


HILDEGARDE'S  NEIGHBORS.  17 

though  I  don't  know  whether  you  ever  no 
ticed  it.  I  looked,  I  did ;  and  so  would 
others,  if  they  had  been  there.  A  wagon 
stood  at  the  back  door,  all  piled  with  trunks 
and  ,bags  and  baskets ;  I  liked  the  look  of 
the  baskets,  I  can't  tell  exactly  why.  And 
at  that  very  moment  a  carriage  drove  up, 
with  two  delightful  brown  horses,  and  a 
brown  man  who  looked  delightful,  too,  driv 
ing.  I  know  it  must  be  Mr.  Merry  weather, 
mammy,  and  I  am  sure  we  shall  like  him. 
Tall  and  straight  and  square,  with  clear 
blue  eyes  and  broad  shoulders;  and  handled 
his  horses  well,  and  —  what  are  you  laugh 
ing  at,  Mrs.  Grahame,  if  I  may  be  permitted 
to  ask?" 

"  I  was  only  thinking  that  this  charming 
individual  was,  in  all  probability,  the  coach 
man,"  said  Mrs.  Grahame,  with  mild  malig 
nity. 

"  Mamma !  "  cried  Hildegarde,  indignantly. 


18  HILDEGARDE'S  NEIGHBORS. 

"As  if  I  didn't  know  a  coachman  when  I 
saw  him  !  Besides,  the  Colonel  —  but  wait ! 
Well,  and  then  there  was  Mrs.  Merry  weather 
—  stout  and  cheerful-looking,  and  I  should 
think  very  absent-minded.  Well,  but,  moth 
er,"  seeing  Mrs.  Grahame  about  to  protest, 
"  she  was  dressed  for  driving,  not  to  say 
travelling,  and  she  —  she  had  a  pen  behind 
her  ear.  She  truly  had  ! 

"  There  were  two  big  girls,  and  two  big 
boys,  and  a  little  girl,  and  a  little  boy.  I 
thought  they  all  looked  nice,  and  the  girls 
were  pretty,  and  one  of  the  big  boys  was 
so  full  of  fun  he  twinkled  all  over.  A  hand 
some  boy,  with  red  hair  and  dark  blue  eyes  ; 
but,  oh,  such  a  pity  !  his  name  is  Obadiah, 
for  I  heard  the  other  call  him  so.  How 
can  intelligent  people  call  a  boy  Obadiah  ?  " 

She  sewed  for  some  minutes  in  silence, 
her  needle  darting  in  and  out  with  thoughtful 
regularity,  then  went  on. 


HILDEGARDE'S  NEIGHBORS.  19 

"  All  the  family  seem  to  have  strange 
names.  The  other  boy  is  called  Ferguson, 
and  one  girl  is  Toots,  and  another  is  Chucky. 
I  detest  nicknames ;  but  these  people  all 
seemed  so  jolly,  and  on  such  good  terms 
with  each  other,  that  I  felt  a  sort  of  warm 
ing  to  them.  The  girl  named  Toots  tumbled 
out  of  the  wagon,  and  the  others  all  laughed, 
and  she  laughed,  too.  She  dropped  every 
thing  she  was  carrying,  and  she  was  carrying 
a  great  deal,  —  a  butterfly-net,  and  a  mouse 
trap,  and  three  books,  and  a  bandbox, - 
and  everybody  seemed  to  think  that  the 
best  joke  of  all.  One  called  her  medicine 
dropper,  and  another  drop-cake,  and  another 
dropped  egg,  and  so  on ;  and  away  they  all 
went  into  the  house,  laughing  and  shouting 
and  tumbling  over  each  other.  Such  a  jolly 
family.  Mamma !  " 

"  Yes,  my  dear,"  said  Mrs.  Grahame,  very 
Quietly,  but  without  looking  up. 


20  HILDEGARDE'S  NEIGHBORS. 

"Nothing ! "  said  Hildegarde.  "You  are  an 
angel,  that  is  all." 

Mrs.  Grahame  sighed,  and  thought,  as 
Hildegarde  had  been  thinking,  how  good  it 
would  be  to  have  many  children,  like  a  crown 
of  sunbeams,  about  her;  and  thought  of  a 
little  grave  in  Greenwood,  where  her  only 
boy  lay. 

Presently  she  looked  up  with  her  usual 
bright  smile. 

"  This  is  all  very  interesting,  Hilda,  and  I 
fully  sympathize  with  your  feelings  behind 
the  hedge ;  but  you  have  not  told  me  how 
you  came  to  know  about  our  new  neighbours. 
Did  Colonel  Ferrers  join  you  at  your  peep 
hole?" 

"  He  did,  mamma !  He  did  just  precisely 
that.  I  saw  him  coming  along  the  road, 
swinging  his  stick,  and  frowning  and  hum 
ming  to  himself,  —  dear  thing  !  And  when 
he  came  near  the  house,  and  heard  the  voices. 


SUCH  FUN  WE  HAD,  — JUST  LIKE  TWO  CONSPIRATORS! 


HILDEGARDE'S  NEIGHBORS.  21 

he  stopped  and  looked,  and  began  to  go  softly 
and  slowly ;  so  then  I  knew  that  he,  too, 
wanted  to  see  what  was  going  on.  So  I  slipped 
to  the  gate  and  beckoned  to  him,  and  he  came 
in  on  tiptoe  and  joined  me.  Such  fun  we 
had,  —  just  like  two  conspirators  !  He  could 
see  over  my  head,  so  we  could  both  look  at 
once ;  and  he  kept  muttering  scraps  of  infor 
mation  in  my  ear,  so  that  it  quite  buzzed. 
Yes,  I  know  you  are  shocked,  dear  madam, 
but  it  really  could  not  be  helped ;  and  you 
said  once  to  Jack  —  poor  old  Jack  !  —  that 
his  uncle  was  a  criterion  of  gentle  breeding 
and  manners  !  So  now,  Mrs.  Grahame  !  " 

"  Well,"  said  Mrs.  Grahame,  "  since  mat 
ters  are  so,  I  may  as  well  hear  what  my  cri 
terion  had  to  say  about  our  new  neighbours. 
A  pretty  state  of  things,  truly !  the  magnate 
and  the  maiden,  spying  through  bushes  on 
these  unsuspecting  strangers.  Say  on,  un 
happy  girl ! " 


22  HILDEGARDE'S  NEIGHBORS. 

"  Of  course  he  said,  '  Hum,  ha ! '  first,  a 
good  many  times ;  and  we  laughed  at  each 
other,  under  our  breath,  and  were  very  happy. 
And  then  he  said,  '  Miles  Merryweather,  my 
dear !  Excellent  person  !  Heard  he  had  taken 
the  old  house,  but  had  no  idea  he  was  coming 
so  soon.  Eminent  scientific  man,  manager  of 
the  new  chemical  works  at  Brompton,  over 
yonder.  Met  him  once,  some  years  ago  ;  glad 
to  renew  the  acquaintance.  Large  family,  I 
see,  yes,  yes ;  hum,  ha !  Boy  about  Hugh's 
age ;  inferior  to  him  in  intellect,  my  dear,  I'll 
bet  a  —  I  should  be  tolerably  certain.  Aston 
ishing  lad,  my  Hugh !  Ha !  Mrs.  Merry- 
weather,  presumably ;  literary,  I  hear,  and 
that  sort  of  thing.  Don't  care  for  literary 
people  myself  ;  prefer  their  books  ;  but  looks 
amiable.  Pretty  girl  that,  Hilda,  my  dear ! 
the  tall  slip  with  the  fair  hair !  Yes,  yes ! 
"A  pretty  girl's  the  noblest  work  of"  —you 
remember  ?  What 's  that  ?  "An  honest  man," 


HILDEGARDE'S  NEIGHBORS.  23 

in  the  original  ?  Now,  will  you  hear  this  girl 
setting  her  elders  to  rights  ?  I  wonder  what 
your  mother  was  thinking  of  when  she 
brought  you  up,  young  woman !  '  and  so  on, 
and  so  on,  in  his  own  delightful  way.  Really, 
mammina,  from  what  he  said,  we  are  going  to 
have  a  great  acquisition  to  the  little  neigh 
bourhood.  We  must  call  as  soon  as  it  would 
be  in  any  way  decent,  must  n't  we  ?  Oh,  but 
wait !  I  must  tell  you  the  end.  We  had  been 
so  interested  in  watching  the  children,  and  in 
seeing  them  go  tumbling  down  and  up  into 
the  house,  that  we  had  lost  sight  of  Mr. 
Merry  weather  himself.  I  suppose  he  must 
have  driven  round  to  the  stable  and  left  the 
horses  there  ;  for  suddenly,  almost  in  our  ears, 
we  heard  a  deep  voice"  saying, '  A  fine  hedge, 
but  needs  clipping  badly ;  we  must  set  the 
boys  to  work  in  the  morning.'  We  started 
back  as  if  we  had  been  shot.  Colonel  Ferrers 
turned  purple,  and  I  felt  every  colour  in  the 


24  HILDEGARDE'S  NEIGHBORS. 

rainbow  flooding  my  cheeks.  We  made  sure 
we  had  been  seen  or  heard,  and  I  think 
Colonel  Ferrers  was  on  the  point  of  step 
ping  forward  like  a  soldier,  and  apologizing ; 
but  I  held  his  arm  for  a  moment,  in  pure  cow 
ardice,  and  the  next  moment  we  saw  Mr. 
and  Mrs.  Merry  weather,  arm  in  arm,  gazing 
calmly  at  the  hedge,  and  evidently  uncon 
scious  of  any  guilty  crouchers  on  the  other 
side.  Oh,  mammy!  if  you  could  have  seen  us 
stealing  away,  how  you  would  have  laughed. 
The  Colonel  is  not  very  light,  you  know,  bless 
him !  and  to  see  him  mincing  along  on  the 
tips  of  his  dear  toes,  scarcely  daring  to  draw 
breath,  still  purple  with  embarrassment  and 
suppressed  laughter,  and  looking  over  his 
shoulder  at  every  step,  as  if  he  expected  to 
see  Mr.  Merry  weather  come  bursting  through 
the  hedge  in  pursuit,  —  oh,  it  was  too  funny ! 
When  we  got  round  the  corner  we  both  sat 
down  on  the  steps  and  giggled,  like  two 


HILDEGARDE'S  NEIGHBORS.  25 

infants;  and  then  he  said  he  was  deeply 
ashamed  of  me,  and  bade  me  go  in  and  make 
confession  to  you  for  both  of  us.  So  now  I 
have  done  it,  dear  madam,  and  you  are  to 
forgive  all  our  sins,  negligences  and  igno 
rances,  please,  and  the  Colonel  is  coming  to 
tea,  with  his  compliments." 


26  HILDEGARDE'S  NEIGHBORS. 


CHAPTER  II. 

OLD    FRIENDS    AND    NEW. 

IT  did  indeed  seem  that  the  advent  of 
the  new  neighbours  might  make  a  great 
difference  in  Hildegarde  Grahame's  life,  if, 
as  she  hoped,  they  were  the  right  kind  of 
neighbours.  She  was  an  only  child.  She 
and  her  mother  had  lived  now  for  two  years 
at  Braeside,  a  lovely  country  place  which 
they  had  come  to  look  on  as  home.  Hilde 
garde  was  always  happy,  and  was  uncon 
scious  of  any  want  in  her  life;  but  her 
mother  often  longed  for  another  daughter, 
or  a  pleasant  girl  in  the  neighbourhood,  to 
be  a  companion  for  her  dear  one.  True, 
Hildegarde  had  one  young  friend,  Hugh 


HILDEGARDE'S  NEIGHBORS.  27 

Allen,  the  ward  of  Colonel  Ferrers,  their 
kind  and  eccentric  neighbour ;  but  Hugh, 
though  a  darling,  was  a  little  boy,  and  could 
not  "  dovetail "  into  a  girl's  life  as  another 
girl  might.  Perhaps  Mrs.  Grahame  hardly 
realized  how  completely  she  herself  filled 
Hildegarde's  idea  of  a  friend  and  companion. 
The  daughter  was  enough  for  her;  her  own 
life  seemed  full  and  running  over  with  joy 
and  work ;  but  for  the  child  she  wanted 
always  more  and  more.  So  her  hopes,  as 
well  as  Hildegarde's,  rose  high  when  she 
heard  of  the  pleasant-looking  girls  who  had 
come  to  the  next-door  house.  The  house  was 
a  large,  old-fashioned,  one ;  less  stately  than 
Koseholme,  Colonel  Ferrers'  house  ;  less  home 
like  and  comfortable,  perhaps,  than  Braeside, 
-but  that  might  only  be  because  it  had 
been  so  long  uninhabited,  Hildegarde  thought, 
— yet  still  pleasant  enough,  with  its  tall  col 
umns  and  broad  piazza.  The  house  was 


28  HILDEGARDE'S  NEIGHBORS. 

yellow,  the  columns  white,  and  the  cheerful 
colours  were  set  off  by  the  dark  trees,  elms 
and  locusts,  that  bent  over  it  and  almost  hid 
it  from  the  road.  A  smooth  stretch  of  lawn 
lay  between  the  house  and  the  hedge,  through 
which  Hildegarde  and  the  Colonel  had  made 
their  observations  :  a  good  lawn  for  tennis, 
Hildegarde  thought.  How  good  it  would  be 
to  play  tennis  again !  She  had  been  longing 
for  the  time  when  Hugh  would  be  big  enough 
to  learn,  or  when  Jack  Ferrers,  her  cousin, 
would  come  back  from  Germany.  How  sur 
prised  Jack  would  be  when  she  wrote  him 
that  the  yellow  house  was  inhabited.  What 
friends  he  might  make  of  those  two  nice- 
looking  boys,  unless  he  took  one  of  his  shy 
fits,  and  would  have  nothing  to  do  with  them. 
Jack  was  a  trying  boy,  though  very  dear. 

With  these  things  in  her  mind,  Hildegarde 
was  sauntering  toward  the  Ladies'  Garden, 
on  the  day  after  the  new  arrival.  This  was 


HILDEGARDE'S  NEIGHBORS.  29 

a  favourite  haunt  of  hers,  and  she  was  very 
apt  to  go  there  for  a  season  of  meditation, 
or  when  she  wanted  to  find  Hugh.  It  was 
a  curious  place,  —  an  old,  neglected,  forgot 
ten  garden,  with  high,  undipped  box  hedges, 
overhung  by  whispering  larches.  Hildegarde 
had  dreamed  many  a  dream  under  those 
larches,  sitting  beside  the  little  stream  that 
plashed  and  fell  in  a  tiny  rocky  hollow,  or 
pacing  up  and  down  the  grassy  paths.  For 
the  child  Hugh,  too,  this  place  had  a  singular 
fascination,  and  he  would  hang  for  hours  over 
a  certain  still,  brown  pool  at  the  foot  of  the 
garden,  thinking  unutterable  things,  occa 
sionally  making  a  remark  to  his  dog,  but 
for  the  most  part  silent.  Knowing  his  ways, 
Hildegarde  was  the  more  surprised,  on  this 
occasion,  to  hear  the  sound  of  voices  in  lively 
conversation.  Whom  could  the  boy  have 
picked  up  and  brought  here  ?  He  had  no 
friend  of  his  own  age ;  like  herself,  he  was  a 


30  HILDEGARDE'S  NEIGHBORS. 

lone  child ;  and  it  was  with  a  little  pang, 
which  she  almost  laughed  to  feel,  that  she 
drew  near,  and  softly  parted  the  branches 
that  hung  between  her  and  the  pool.  The 
first  step  was  fatal,  she  thought,  and  she  was 
apparently  condemned  to  be  a  peeper  and  an 
eavesdropper  for  the  rest  of  her  days. 

Hugh  was  sitting  beside  the  pool,  but  not 
in  his  favourite  Narcissus-like  attitude.  His 
knees  were  well  up  in  front  of  him,  his  hands 
were  clasped  over  them,  and  facing  him,  in 
precisely  the  same  position,  was  a  boy  in  blue 
jean  overalls,  with  a  shock  of  black  hair,  and 
bright,  dark  eyes. 

"  What  kind  of  fish  ?"  asked  the  black-eyed 
boy,  with  kindling  look. 

"  Little  fish  with  silver  tails,"  said  Hugh, 
"  and  shining  eyes.  They  look  at  me,  and 
sometimes  I  think  they  listen  to  what  I  say ; 
but  they  cannot  speak,  you  know." 

"  Ho  !  I  should  think  not !  "  said  Black-eyes, 


HILDEGARDE'S  NEIGHBORS.  31 

scornfully.  "I  mean  what  kind  of  fish  are 
they,  when  you  catch  'em, — minnows,  or  dace, 
or  sticklebacks,  or  what  ?  What  are  their 
names  ?  " 

"  I  do  not  know  that,"  said  Hugh.  "  I 
never  thought  of  their  names ;  and  I  don't 
catch  them." 

"  Why  not  ?  Would  n't  you  be  let  ?  Don't 
the  people  in  the  house  allow  fishing?  I 
thought  you  said  they  were  nice  people  !  "  and 
my  lord  showed  a  face  of  keen  disgust. 

"I  don't  want  to  catch  them,"  said  Hugh, 
quietly.  "  Why  should  I  ?  They  swim  about, 
and  I  see  them  shine  like  silver  and  purple 
under  the  brown  water.  Sometimes  they  have 
crimson  spots,  like  drops  of  blood,  or  ruby 
stones.  Look !  there  is  one  now,  a  ruby- 
spotted  one ! " 

"  Oh,  my  crickey !  "  cried  the  strange  boy, 
jumping  up,  and  dancing  from  one  foot  to  the 
other,  "  It 's  a  trout,  you  idiot !  Gimme  a 


32  HILDEGARDE'S  NEIGHBORS. 

line  !  gimme  a  net,  or  something !  Gimme  — " 
He  snatched  off  his  cap,  and  made  a  frantic 
effort  to  catch  the  trout,  which  flipped  its  tail 
quietly  at  him,  and  withdrew  under  a  rock. 

The  boy  sat  down,  breathless,  and  stared  at 
Hugh  with  all  his  eyes. 

"  What 's  the  matter  with  you?"  he  asked, 
at  length.  "  What  kind  of  a  fellow  are  you, 
anyhow  ?  Are  you  loony  ?  " 

Hugh  pondered,  the  question  being  new  to 
him. 

"I — don't — know  ! "  he  announced,  after 
sufficient  thought. 

There  was  a  moment  of  silence,  and  black 
eyes  and  blue  exchanged  an  ardent  gaze. 
Hugh's  eyes  were  bright,  with  the  brightness 
of  a  blue  lake,  where  the  sunbeams  strike 
deep  into  it,  and  transfuse  the  clear  water 
with  light ;  but  the  eyes  of  the  strange  boy 
twinkled  and  snapped,  as  when  sunshine 
sparkles  from  ripple  to  ripple.  He  was  the 
first  to  break  the  silence. 


'AT 


HE  MADE  A  FRANTIC  EFFORT  TO  CATCH  THE  TROUT." 


HILDEGARDE'S  NEIGHBORS.  33 

"  Where  do  you  go  to  school  ?  "  he  asked. 
"  How  old  are  you  ?  how  far  have  you  got  in 
arithmetic  ?  fractions  ?  So  am  I !  Hate  'em  ? 
so  do  I !  Play  base-ball  ?  " 

"  No  !  "  said  Hugh. 

"  Is  n't  there  a  nine  here  ?  " 

"Nine?"  Hugh  turned  this  over  in  his 
mind.  "  I  only  know  of  three  at  Roseholme. 
One  is  carved  ivory,  carved  all  over  with 
dragons,  and  of  course  one  could  not  play 
with  that ;  and  there  are  two  cricket  balls 
that  the  Colonel  had  when  he  was  a  boy,  and 
he  says  I  may  play  with  those  some  day, 
when  I  know  enough  not  to  break  windows. 
Perhaps  you  have  learned  that,  if  you  are 
used  to  having  nine  balls." 

The  stranger  stared  again,  with  a  look  in 
which  despair  was  dawning.  "  You  must  be 
loony ! "  he  muttered.  And  then,  aloud,  "  Can't 
you  play  anything  ?  What  can  you  do  ?  " 

"  I  can  run,"  said  Hugh,  after  another  pause 


34  HILDEGARDE'S  NEIGHBORS. 

of  reflection,  "  and  swim,  of  course,  and  box 
a  little,  and  fence." 

"  Fence  !  "  said  Black-eyes  ;  his  voice  took 
a  more  respectful  tone.  "  Where  did  you  learn 
to  fence  ?  You  're  too  young,  are  n't  you  ?  " 

"  I  am  nine  !  "  said  Hugh.  "  I  began  to 
learn  two  years  ago,  and  I  have  outgrown  my 
first  foil,  and  the  Colonel  has  given  me  a  new 
one,  almost  full  size." 

"Who's  the  Colonel?" 

"Colonel  Ferrers,  the  gentleman  I  live 
with.  My  great-aunt  is  his  housekeeper ;  and 
he  is  my  dearest  friend,  except  my  Beloved 
and  her  mother  and  my  great-aunt." 

"  Who  is  your  Beloved  ?  What  makes 
you  talk  so  funny  ?  " 

The  black-eyed  boy  no  longer  spoke  scorn 
fully,  the  fencing  having  made  a  deep  impres 
sion  on  him,  but  he  looked  more  puzzled  than 
ever. 

"How   do   I   talk?"   asked  Hugh,  in  re- 


HILDEGARDE'S  NEIGHBORS.  35 

turn.  "This  is  the  way  I  do  talk,  you  see. 
And  my  Beloved  is  Miss  Grahame,  and  that 
is  what  you  have  to  call  her ;  but  I  call  her 
my  Beloved,  because  she  is  that;  and  she  is 
the  most  beautiful  - 

But  here  the  young  gentleman  was  inter 
rupted  ;  there  was  a  hasty  putting  aside  of 
the  branches,  and  Hildegarde,  with  pink 
cheeks  and  a  guilty  conscience,  stood  before 
the  two  boys.  They  both  jumped  up  at  once, 
having  good  manners ;  but  Hugh's  rising  was 
calm  and  leisurely,  while  the  black-eyed  lad 
scrambled  to  his  feet,  and  darted  swift  looks 
here  and  there,  preparing  for  flight. 

"  How  do  you  do  ?  "  said  Hildegarde,  com 
ing  forward  quickly  and  holding  out  her 
hand.  "  You  are  not  going,  are  you  ?  I 
think  you  must  be  one  of  our  new  neighbours, 
and  we  ought  to  make  acquaintance,  ought  n't 
we?" 

The  boy  smiled,  a  little  quick,  frightened 


36  HILDEGARDE'S  NEIGHBORS. 

smile,  "just  the  way  a  bird  would  do  if  it 
could,"  Hildegarde  thought,  and  laid  a  small 
brown  paw  timidly  in  hers. 

"  This  is  my  Beloved !  "  said  Hugh,  by  way 
of  introduction.  "  So  you  can  see  for  your 
self." 

"  And  am  I  not  to  hear  my  neighbour's 
name  ? "  asked  Hildegarde. 

"  I  am  Will  Merry  weather,"  said  the  black- 
eyed  boy. 

"  I  am  very  glad  to  see  you,  Will.  I  hope 
you  and  Hugh  will  be  friends,  for  it  is  so  nice 
to  have  friends  of  one's  own  age,  and  Hugh 
has  no  one.  You,  of  course,  have  brothers  and 
sisters,  and  that  is  the  best  of  all,  isn't  it?" 

There  was  no  resisting  Hildegarde' s  smile  ; 
the  young  Merryweather  wavered,  smiled, 
smiled  again,  and  in  five  minutes  they  were 
all  seated  together,  and  chatting  away  like 
old  friends. 

It  appeared  that  Master  Will  was  pleased 


HILDEGARDE'S  NEIGHBORS.  37 

with  his  new  surroundings,  but  that  the 
absence  of  a  base-ball  nine  was  a  tragic  thing, 
not  lightly  to  be  contemplated.  The  house 
was  "  no  end ; "  the  dwelling  they  had  just 
left  was  entirely  too  small  for  them. 

"  You  see,"  he  said,  "  when  we  went  to 
that  house  we  weren't  born  at  all,  most  of 
us ;  that  is,  there  was  only  Bell  and  the  boys. 
So  it  was  big  enough  then,  and  they  had 
rooms  to  themselves,  and  all  kinds  of  things. 
But  then  we  began  to  come  along,  and  at  last 
it  got  so  small  that  the  boys  had  to  sleep  in 
the  barn,  and  when  there  was  more  than  one 
visitor  I  had  to  go  on  the  parlour  sofa,  and 
it 's  a  beast  of  a  sofa  to  sleep  on, —  haircloth, 
you  know,  and  you  slide  off  all  night;  so 
father  thought  we'd  better  move,  and  we 
came  here." 

"  Is  Bell  your  eldest  sister  ?  "  asked  Hilde- 
garde,  not  sure  how  far  it  would  be  right  to 
question  this  frank  youth. 


38  HILDEGARDE'S  NEIGHBORS. 

"  Yes,  that 's  Bell.  She  's  no  end  nice  and 
jolly ;  and  she  's  in  college,  you  know,  and  we 
have  such  larks  when  she  comes  home." 

In  college !  Hildegarde's  hopes  fell.  She 
knew  she  could  not  get  on  with  college  girls, 
though  she  had  great  respect  for  them.  Dear 
me !  Probably  Bell  would  be  very  learned, 
and  would  despise  her  as  an  "  unidead  girl." 
Cruel  Dr.  Johnson,  to  originate  that  injurious 
epithet ! 

At  this  moment  she  heard  a  fresh,  joyous 
voice  calling, — 

"Will!  Willy  boy!  W— I— Double— L, 
where  are  you  ?  " 

"That's  Bell,"  cried  Will,  starting  up. 
^  She  's  come  after  me." 

"  Here  I  am,  Bell !  "  he  shouted.  "  Here  's 
a  jolly  place ;  come  along !  I  say,  may  she 
come  along?"  he  added,  turning  to  Hilde- 
garde  with  a  conscience-stricken  look.  Hil- 
degarde  nodded  eagerly,  hoping  that  his 


HILDEGARDE'S  NEIGHBORS.  39 

request  had  not  been  heard.  Just  beyond  the 
Ladies'  Garden  was  a  high  board-fence  which 
separated  Braeside  from  the  neighbouring 
place.  At  the  top  of  this  fence  appeared 
two  small  but  strong-looking  hands,  and  fol 
lowing  them,  a  girl's  face,  blue-eyed,  rosy- 
cheeked  and  smiling. 

"  You  little  rascal ! "  cried  the  girl ;  and 
then  she  caught  sight  of  Hildegarde.  "  Oh, 
I  beg  your  pardon ! "  she  cried,  hastily. 
"  I  did  n't  know, —  I  was  looking  for  my 
brother—" 

"  Oh,  please  come  up !  "  cried  Hildegarde, 
running  to  the  fence.  "  Please  come  over ! 
Oh,  you  mustn't  hang  by  your  hands  that 
way;  you'll  get  splinters  in  them.  You  are 
Miss  Merryweather,  and  I  am  Hildegarde 
Grahame ;  so  now  we  are  introduced,  and 
let  me  help  you  over,  do  !  " 

Hildegarde  delivered  this  breathlessly,  and 
held  out  both  hands  to  help  the  stranger ;  but 


40  HILDEGAKDE'S  NEIGHBORS. 

the  latter,  with  a  frank  smile  and  a  nod, 
drew  herself  up  without  more  ado,  perched  on 
the  top  of  the  fence,  then  sprang  lightly  to 
the  ground. 

"  Thank  you  so  much  !  "  she  said,  warmly, 
taking  Hildegarde's  outstretched  hand.  "  Of 
course  I  didn't  know  I  was  trespassing, 
but  I'm  glad  I  came.  And  oh,  what  a 
lovely  place  !  I  did  n't  know  there  was  such 
a  place  out  of  a  book.  Oh,  the  hedges  !  and 
the  brook !  and  the  trees !  How  can  it  be 
real?" 

Hildegarde  nodded  in  delight.  "  Yes !  " 
she  said.  "  That  is  just  the  way  I  felt  when 
I  first  saw  the  place.  It  was  some  time 
before  I  could  feel  it  right  to  come  here  with 
out  apologizing  to  the  ghosts." 

"  Your  ancestors'  ghosts  ?  "  said  Bell  Merry- 
weather,  inquiringly.  "  Are  n't  they  your 
own  ghosts  ?  Have  n't  you  lived  here  al 
ways?" 


HILDEGABDE'S  NEIGHBORS.  41 

Hildegarde  explained  that  the  place  had 
belonged  to  a  cousin  of  her  mother's,  who  left 
it  to  her  at  his  death. 

"Oh!"  said  Miss  Merry  weather ;  then  she 
considered  a  little,  with  her  head  on  one 
side.  Hildegarde  decided  that,  though  not  a 
beauty,  the  new-comer  had  one  of  the  pleas- 
antest  faces  she  had  ever  seen. 

"On  the  whole,"  the  girl  went  on,  "I  am 
rather  glad  that  my  theory  was  wrong.  The 
truth  is  less  romantic,  but  it  makes  you  much 
more  real  and  accessible,  which  is,  after  all, 
desirable  in  a  country  neighbourhood." 

"  Do  tell  me  what  you  mean  !  "  cried  Hilde 
garde. 

Miss  Merryweather  laughed. 

"  If  you  are  quite  sure  you  won't  mind  ? " 
she  said,  tentatively.     "  Well,  your  place  is  so 
beautiful, —  even    apart    from    this  —  this  — 
bower  of  nymphs, —  it  is  so  shadowed  with 
great  trees,  and  so  green  with  old  turf,  that 


42  HILDEGARDE'S  NEIGHBORS. 

when  I  saw  you  this  morning  walking  under 
the  tree,  I  made  up  a  romance  about  you, —  a 
pretty  little  romance.  You  are  quite  sure 
you  don't  mind  ?  You  were  the  last  of  an 
ancient  family,  and  you  were  very  delicate, 
and  your  mother  kept  you  in  this  lovely 
solitude,  hoping  to  preserve  your  precious 
life.  And  now,"  she  burst  into  a  clear  peal 
of  laughter,  in  which  Hildegarde  joined 
heartily,  "  now  I  see  you  near,  and  you  are  no 
more  delicate  than  I  am,  and  you  are  not  the 
last  of  an  ancient  family.  At  least,  I  hope  you 
are  not,"  she  cried,  growing  suddenly  grave. 

"  Oh  !  do  you  like  to  make  romances  ? " 
cried  Hildegarde,  with  ready  tact  waiving  the 
last  question.  "  It  is  my  delight,  too.  No,  I 
am  not  in  the  least  delicate,  as  you  say,  and 
we  have  only  been  here  two  years,  my 
mother  and  I ;  yet  it  seems  like  home,  and 
I  hope  we  shall  always  live  here  now.  And 
are  you  beginning  to  feel  at  all  settled  in, — 


HILDEGARDE'S  NEIGHBORS.  43 

I  don't  know  any  name  for  your  house ;  we 
have  called  it  just  the  '  Yellow  House/  as  it 
had  no  special  interest,  being  uninhabited. 
But  I  suppose  you  will  give  it  a  name  ?  " 

"  If  we  can  decide  on  one ! "  said  Bell 
Merryweather,  laughing.  "  The  trouble  is, 
there  are  so  many  of  us  to  decide.  I  want  to 
call  it  Gamboge  :  brief,  you  see,  and  simple. 
But  one  boy  says  it  must  be  Chrome  Castle, 
and  another  votes  for  Topaz  Tower ;  so  I 
don't  know  how  it  will  end." 

"  When  I  was  a  little  girl,"  said  Hilde- 
garde,  "  I  had  a  book,  the  dearest  little 
book,  called  4  Pumpkin  House.'  It  was 
about — " 

"  Oh,  did  you  have  '  Pumpkin  House  ? ' 
cried  Bell  Merryweather,  eagerly.  "  Oh ! 
was  n't  it  a  darling  ?  And  did  n't  you  think 
you  never  could  be  perfectly  happy  till  you 
could  live  in  a  pumpkin  ?  And  to  think  of 
my  forgetting  it  now,  just  when  the  opportu- 


44  HILDEGARDE'S  NEIGHBORS. 

nity  has  come !  Of  course  we  shall  call  the 
new  home  Pumpkin  House  !  " 

"  Will  the  others  like  it  ?"  asked  Hildegarde. 

"  They  'd  better  !  "  said  Bell.  "  And  they 
will,  of  course.  It  was  only  because  we  had 
not  found  the  right  name  that  we  did  not 
agree.  Thank  you  so  much,  Miss  Grahame  ! 
Oh,  I  must  go  now,  for  I  have  fifty  thousand 
things  to  do !  But,—  I  am  so  glad  to  have 
met  you." 

"  And  I  to  know  you,"  cried  Hildegarde, 
warmly.  "  I  hope  we  shall  see  a  great-  deal 
of  each  other.  We  shall  come  to  call  in  due 
form,  as  soon  as  you  are  ready  to  receive 
visitors.  But  meanwhile,  allow  me  to  pre 
sent  you  with  the  freedom  of  the  fence  and  of 
the  Ladies'  Garden.  See !  our  two  boys  are 
deep  in  confidences  already." 

In  truth,  the  black  head  and  the  red  one 
were  laid  close  together,  and  the  two  round 
faces  wore  the  same  look  of  deep  importance 


HILDEGARDE'S  NEIGHBORS.  45 

"  Mine  are  green  and  white,"  said  Will. 
"  That  is  Austrian,  but  I  have  them  Crusaders 
a  good  deal  of  the  time." 

"  Mine  are  blue,"  said  Hugh,  "  and  some 
times  they  are  Americans,  and  sometimes 
they  are  Greeks  and  Trojans.  Will  you  be 
my  friend,  and  shall  we  fight  great  fights 
together  ?  " 

"All  right,"  said  Will  Merryweather,  shyly. 

"We  will  plan  a  campaign,"  cried  Hugh, 
his  eyes  shining  with  ardour. 

"  Yes ;  but  now  you  must  come  in  to  your 
music  lesson,"  said  Hildegarde,  taking  his 
hand,  and  frowning  at  herself  for  feeling 
another  little  pang,  as  Hugh's  face  turned 
toward  his  new  acquaintance. 

«  Read  the  Talisman  ? "  cried  Will.  « I  '11 
be  Saladin,  and  you  be  Richard." 

"  Come  along,  Will,"  said  his  sister,  taking 
him  by  the  shoulders  and  marching  him 
toward  the  fence. 


46  HILDEGARDE'S  NEIGHBORS. 

"  Lots  of  sand  that  will  do  for  Palestine  !  " 
"  Plains  of  Marathon  over  beyond  the  stone 
wall!"  "Turbans  and  lances!"  "Horse 
tail  helmets  and  real  armour !  " 

Still  shouting,  Will  was  pitched  bodily  over 
the  fence  by  his  stalwart  sister,  while  Hugh 
went  away  holding  Hildegarde's  hand,  and 
looking  backward  as  he  passed. 

"  We  will  fight ! "  he  said,  giving  a  little 
leap  of  joy.  "  Our  necks  shall  be  clothed 
with  thunder,  and  we  shall  say,  '  Ha !  ha ! ' 
among  the  trumpets.  And  will  you  bind  my 
wounds,  Beloved  ? "  he  added,  looking  up  in 
Hildegarde's  face.  "And  will  you  give  me 
my  shield,  and  tell  me  to  come  back  with  it 
or  upon  it  ?  Will  you  do  that  ?  The  cover  of 
the  washboiler  will  do  beautifully  for  a  shield." 

"  So  it  will !  "  said  Hildegarde  ;  and  they 
went  into  the  house  together. 


HILDEGAKDE'S  NEIGHBORS.  47 


CHAPTER  III. 

PUMPKIN    HOUSE. 

WHEN  Mrs.  G-rahame  and  Hildegarde  went 
to  call  on  their  new  neighbours,  two  days 
after  the  meeting  in  the  garden,  they  found 
them  already  entirely  at  home,  the  house 
looking  as  if  they  had  always  lived  in  it. 
The  furniture  was  plain,  and  showed  marks 
of  hard  usage ;  but  there  were  plenty  of  pict 
ures,  and  the  right  kind  of  pictures,  as  Hilde 
garde  said  to  herself,  with  satisfaction;  and 
there  were  books,  —  books  everywhere.  In 
the  wide,  sunny  sitting-room,  into  which  they 
were  ushered  by  a  pleasant-faced  maid,  low 
bookcases  ran  all  round  the  walls,  and  were 
not  only  filled,  but  heaped  with  books,  the 


48  HILDEGARDE'S  NEIGHBORS. 

volumes  lying  in  piles  along  the  top.  The 
centre-table  was  a  magazine-stand,  where 
Saint  Nicholas  and  The  Century,  The  forum 
and  The  Scientific  American  jostled  each 
other  in  friendly  rivalry.  Mrs.  Merryweather 
sat  in  a  low  chair,  with  her  lap  full  of  books, 
and  had  some  difficulty  in  rising  to  receive 
her  visitors.  Her  hearty  welcome  assured 
them  that  they  had  not  come  a  day  too  soon, 
as  Mrs.  Grahame  feared. 

"  My  dear  lady,  no !  I  am  charmed  to  see 
you.  Bell  has  had  such  pleasure  in  making 
friends  with  your  daughter.  Miss  Grahame, 
I  am  delighted  to  see  you !  "  and  Mrs.  Merry- 
weather  held  out  what  she  thought  was  her 
hand,  but  Hildegarde  shook  instead  a  small 
morocco  volume,  and  was  well  content  when 
she  saw  that  it  was  the  "  Golden  Treasury." 

"  Bell  has  had  such  pleasure  that  I  have 
been  most  anxious  to  share  it,  and  to  know 
you  and  your  daughter.  Shall  we  be  neigh- 


HILDEGAKDE'S  NEIGHBORS.  49 

hourly  ?  I  am  the  most  unceremonious  person 
in  the  world.  Dear  me  !  is  n't  there  a  chair 
without  books  on  it  ?  Here,  my  dear  Mrs. 
Grahame,  sit  down  here,  pray  !  It  is  Dr. 
Johnson  himself  who  makes  room  for  you, 
and  you  must  excuse  the  great  man  for  being 
slow  in  his  movements." 

With  a  merry  smile,  she  offered  the  chair 
from  which  she  had  just  removed  a  hugh 
folio  dictionary.  Hildegarde  found  an  otto 
man  which  she  could  easily  share  with  a 
volume  of  Punch.,  and  Mrs.  Merry  weather 
beamed  at  them  over  her  spectacles,  and  said 
again  that  she  was  delighted  to  see  them. 

"  We  are  getting  the  books  to  rights  gradu 
ally,"  she  said,  "but  it  takes  time,  as  you  see. 
I  have  to  do  this  myself,  with  Bell's  help. 
She  will  be  down  in  a  moment,  my  dear. 
We  have  established  an  overflow  bookcase  in 
a  cupboard  upstairs,  and  she  has  just  gone  up 
with  a  load.  Ah !  here  she  is.  Bell,  my 


50  HILDEGARDE'S  NEIGHBORS. 

dear,  Mrs.  and  Miss  Grahame.  So  kind  of 
them  to  come  and  see  us ! " 

Bell  shook  hands  warmly,  her  frank,  pleas 
ant  face  shining  with  good-will.  "  I  am  so 
glad  to  see  you !  "  she  cried,  sitting  down  by 
Hildegarde  on  a  pile  of  Punches.  "  I  hoped 
you  would  come  to-day,  even  if  the  books 
are  not  in  order  yet.  They  are  so  dear,  the 
books ;  they  are  part  of  the  family,  and  we 
want  to  be  sure  that  they  have  places  they 
like.  I  suppose  Punch  ought  by  rights  to  go 
with  people  of  his  own  sort  —  if  there  is  any 
body! —  but  one  wants  him  close  at  hand, 
don't  you  think  so  ?  where  one  can  take  him 
up  any  time,  —  when  it  rains,  or  when  things 
bother  one.  Do  you  remember  that  Leech 
picture  ? "  and  they  babbled  of  Punch,  their 
beloved,  for  ten  minutes,  and  liked  each  other 
better  at  every  one  of  the  ten. 

"  Bell,  I  want  Mrs.  and  Miss  Grahame  to 
see  our,  other  children/'  said  Mrs.  Merry- 


HILDEGARDE'S  NEIGHBORS.  51 

weather,  presently.  "Where  is  Toots,  and 
where  are  the  boys  ? " 

"  Toots  is  upstairs,  poor  lamb !  "  Bell  re 
plied.  "  When  Mary  came  to  tell  me  of  our 
visitors'  arrival  I  was  just  putting  away 
Sibbes's  '  Soul's  Conflict/  and  various  other 
dreadful  persons  whom  you  would  not  let  me 
burn ;  so  I  dumped  them  in  Toots' s  arms,  and 
ran  off  and  left  her.  Being  a  '  'bedient  old 
soul/  she  is  probably  standing  just  where  I 
left  her.  I  will  go  — 

But  at  this  moment  Toots  appeared,  —  a 
girl  of  fifteen,  tall,  shy  and  blushing,  and  was 
introduced  as  "  my  daughter  Gertrude."  She 
confessed,  on  interrogation,  that  she  had 
dropped  Sibbes's  "  Soul's  Conflict  "  out  of  the 
window,  and  was  on  her  way  to  pick  it  up. 

"  Why  did  n't  you  drop  it  down  the  well  ?  " 
asked  her  sister.  "  It  is  so  dry,  I  am  sure  a 
wetting  would  do  it  good  !  " 

"  Sit  down,  my  dear ! "   said  Mrs.  Merry- 


52  HILDEGARDE'S  NEIGHBORS. 

weather,  comfortably.  "  One  of  the  boys  is 
sure  to  be  about,  and  will  bring  in  the  book. 
Sibbes  is  a  little  dry,  Bell,  but  very  sound 
writing,  much  sounder  than  a  good  deal  of 
the  controversial  writing  of  —  bless  me ! 
what's  that?" 

Something  resembling  a  human  wheel  had 
revolved  swiftly  past  the  window,  emitting 
unearthly  cries. 

Hildegarde  blushed  and  hesitated.  "I  —  I 
think  it  was  your  brother  Obadiah,"  she  said 
to  Bell. 

The  latter  stared,  open-eyed.  "  My  brother 
Obadiah  ? "  she  repeated.  "  How  did  you 
know  —  I  beg  your  pardon!  but  why  do  you 
say  Obadiah  ?  " 

Hildegarde  glanced  at  her  mother,  who  was 
laughing  openly.  "  You  will  have  to  make 
full  confession,  Hilda,"  she  said.  "  I  do  not 
think  Mrs.  Merry  weather  will  be  very  severe 
with  you." 


HILDEGARDE'S  NEIGHBORS.  53 

"  It  is  a  dreadful  thing  to  confess,"  said 
Hildegarde,  laughing  and  blushing.  "I  —  to 
tell  the  truth,  I  happened  to  be  walking  in 
our  garden,  on  the  other  side  of  the  tall 
hedge,  just  when  you  drove  up,  the  other  day ; 
and  —  there  is  a  most  convenient  little  peep 
hole,  and  I  wanted  to  see  our  new  neigh 
bours,  and  —  and  —  I  peeped  !  Are  you  much 
shocked,  Mrs.  Merry  weather  ?  I  heard  several 
names,  —  Bell,  and  Toots,  and  —  I--I  heard 
the  handsome  red-haired  boy  called  Obadiah." 

The  Merry  weathers  laughed  merrily,  and 
Mrs.  Merry  weather  was  about  to  speak,  when 
a  voice  was  heard  in  the  hall,  chanting  in 
a  singular,  nasal  key, — 

"  Dropsy  dropped  a  book, 
And  she  's  going  to  be  shook ! 
Dropsy  dropped  a  volume, 
Which  makes  her  very  solume ! " 

The  door  was  pushed  open,  and  the  hand 
some  red-haired  boy  entered,  walking  on  his 


54  HILDEGARDE'S  NEIGHBORS. 

hands,  holding  aloft  between  his  feet  the 
missing  "  Soul's  Conflict." 

"  My  son  Gerald,"  said  Mrs.  Merry  weather, 
with  a  wicked  smile.  "  Gerald,  my  love,  Mrs. 
and  Miss  Grahame." 

If  Hildegarde  was  crimson  (and  she  un 
doubtedly  was),  Gerald  Merryweather  was 
brilliant  scarlet  when  he  rose  to  his  feet 
and  saluted  the  strangers;  but  he  was  also 
atwinkle  with  laughter,  the  whole  lithe, 
graceful  body  of  him  seeming  to  radiate  fun. 
One  glance  at  Bell,  another  at  Hildegarde, 
and  the  whole  party  broke  into  peal  on  peal 
of  merriment. 

"  How  do  you  do  ? "  said  Scarlet  to  Crim 
son,  holding  out  a  strong  brown  hand,  and 
gripping  hers  cordially.  "  Awfully  glad ! 
Please  excuse  me,  Mrs.  Grahame,  for  coming 
in  like  that.  I  thought  there  was  no  one  here 
but  the  mother,  and  she  is  as  used  to  one  end 
of  me  as  the  other." 


HILDEGARDE'S  NEIGHBORS.  55 

"  So  you  are  Gerald,  and  not  Obadiah." 
said  Mrs.  Grahame.  "  I  congratulate  you  on 
the  prettier  name." 

"  Oh,  Ferguson  calls  me  Obadiah ! "  said 
Gerald,  laughing  again.  "  He  's  the  other  of 
me,  you  know.  Beg  pardon !  you  don't 
know,  perhaps.  We  are  twins,  Ferguson 
and  I." 

"And  Ferguson,  my  dear  Mrs.  Grahame," 
interposed  Mrs.  Merry  weather,  "  is  my  son 
Philip.  Why  these  boys  cannot  call  each 
other  by  their  rightful  names  is  a  family 
mystery;  but  so  it  is." 

"Is  your  brother  Fer  —  Philip  like  you?" 
asked  Hildegarde,  feeling  sure  that  he  was 
not,  as  the  other  boy  she  had  seen  certainly 
had  not  red  hair. 

"  Not  a  bit ! "  replied  Gerald,  cheerfully. 
"No  resemblance,  I  believe.  ' Beauty  and 
the  Beast '  we  call  each  other,  too.  Some 
times  I  am  Beauty,  and  more  times  I  am  the 


56  HILDEGARDE'S  NEIGHBORS. 

Beast;  depends  on  which  has  had  his  hair 
cut  last." 

"  Or  brushed,"  said  Bell,  glancing  at  the 
curly  hair,  which  was  certainly  in  rather  a 
wild  condition. 

"  Oh,  yes !  beg  pardon !  "  said  Gerald, 
glancing  ruefully  at  the  mirror,  and  running 
his  hand  through  his  curly  mop. 

"  Beast  this  time,  and  no  mistake.  Grass 
rather  long,  you  see,  and  tore  my  locks  of 
gold.  Happy  thought !  Desiring  to  tear  your 
hair  in  sorrow,  walk  on  hands  through  long 
grass ;  effect  admirable.  Wonder  Hamlet 
never  tried  it !  " 

"  Hamlet's  hair  was  black,"  said  Toots, 
seriously. 

"  And  therefore  he  could  not  walk  on  his 
hands,"  said  Gerald.  "  I  see !  Dropsy,  you 
are  a  genius ;  that 's  the  trouble  with 
you." 

A  long  gray  leg  appeared  at  the  open  win- 


HILDEGARDE'S  NEIGHBORS.  57 

dow,  and  after  waving  wildly  for  a  moment, 
disappeared  suddenly. 

"  Ferguson ! "  said  Gerald,  turning  to 
Hildegarde.  "  His  mountain  way  !  Becom 
ing  aware  of  your  presence,  he  has  retired, 
to  reverse  legs,  and  will  shortly  reappear, 
fondly  hoping  that  you  did  not  see  him 
before." 

Sure  enough,  in  a  few  moments  another 
tall  boy  entered,  looking  preternaturally 
grave,  with  his  hair  scrupulously  smooth. 

"  Been  upstairs,  you  see,"  said  the  irre 
pressible  Gerald,  "  and  slicked  himself  all  up. 
Quite  the  Beauty,  Fergs." 

"  Gerald,  do  be  quiet !  "  said  Mrs.  Merry- 
weather.  "  This  is  Philip,  my  other  twin 
boy,  Mrs.  Grahame." 

Philip  greeted  Hildegarde  and  her  mother 
with  grave  courtesy,  taking  no  notice  of  his 
brother's  gibes. 

"  You  find  us  in  a  good  deal  of  confusion," 


58  HILDEGARDE'S  NEIGHBORS. 

he  said  to  Hildegarde,  sitting  down  on  a 
table,  the  only  available  seat.  "  It  takes  a 
long  time  to  get  settled,  don't  you  think 
so?" 

"Oh  —  yes!"  said  Hildegarde,  struggling 
for  composure,  and  conscious  of  Gerald's  eyes 
fixed  intently  on  her.  "  But  you  all  look  so 
home-like  and  comfortable  here." 

"  Especially  Ferguson !  "  broke  in  Gerald, 
sotto  voce.  "  How  comfortable  he  looks, 
does  n't  he,  Miss  Grahame  ?  No  use,  Fergs  ! 
We  marked  your  little  footprints  in  the  air, 
my  son." 

"  Oh ! "  said  Philip,  looking  much  discom 
posed.  "  Well,  I  '11  punch  your  head,  Obe, 
anyhow." 

"  Suppose  we  come  out  and  look  at  the 
tennis-court,"  said  Bell.  "  I  am  sure  you 
play  tennis,  Miss  Grahame." 

"  Indeed  I  do,"  said  Hildegarde,  heartily. 
"  I  have  often  looked  longingly  at  that  nice 


HILDEGARDE'S  NEIGHBORS.  59 

smooth  lawn,  and  I  hoped  you  were  going  to 
lay  it  out  for  a  court." 

"  Phil,"  said  Gertrude  aside  to  her  brother, 
who  was  still  blushing  and  uncomfortable, 
"you  needn't  mind  a  bit.  Jerry  came  in 
walking  on  his  hands,  right  into  the  room, 
before  he  saw  them  at  all ;  and  they  are  so 
nice,  they  didn't  care  ;  they  liked  it." 

"Did  they?"  said  Phil,  also  in  a  whisper. 
"  Well,  that 's  some  comfort ;  but  I  '11  punch 
his  head  for  him,  all  the  same." 

And  Gerald  cried  aloud,— 

"Away,  away  to  the  mountain's  brow, 
For  Ferguson  glares  like  an  angry  cow. 
He'll  punch  my  head,  and  kill  me  dead, 
Before  I  have  time  to  say  '  Bow-wow.' ' 

And  the  five  young  people  went  off  laugh 
ing  to  the  tennis-court. 


60  HILDEGARDE'S  NEIGHBORS, 


CHAPTER  IV. 

HESTER'S  PLAYROOM. 

" '  THAR  ! '  said  the  Deacon.  <  Naow  she  '11 
dew ! '  " 

Hildegarde  spoke  in  a  tone  of  satisfaction, 
as  she  looked  about  her  room.  She  had  been 
setting  it  to  rights, —  not  that  it  was  ever 
"to  wrongs"  for  any  length  of  time, —  for 
Bell  and  Gertrude  Merryweather  were  coming 
to  spend  the  morning  with  her,  and  she 
wanted  her  own  special  sanctum  to  look  its 
best.  She  was  very  fond  of  this  large,  bare, 
airy  chamber,  with  its  polished  floor,  its 
white  wainscoting,  and  its  quaint  blue-dragon 
paper.  She  had  made  it  into  a  picture  gal 
lery,  and  just  now  it  was  a  flower-show,  too ; 


HILDEGARDE'S  NEIGHBORS.  61 

for  every  available  vase  and  bowl  was  filled 
with  flowers  from  wood  and  garden.  On  the 
round  table  stood  a  huge  Indian  jar  of  pale 
green  porcelain,  filled  with  nodding  purple 
iris ;  the  green  glass  bowls  held  double  but 
tercups  and  hobble-bush  sprays,  while  two 
portraits,  those  of  Dundee  and  William  the 
Silent,  were  wreathed  in  long  garlands  of 
white  hawthorn.  The  effect  was  charming, 
and  Hildegarde  might  well  look  satisfied. 
But  Bell  Merryweather,  when  she  came  into 
the  room,  thought  that  its  owner  was  the 
most  beautiful  part  of  it.  Hildegarde  was 
used  to  herself,  as  she  would  have  said 
frankly ;  she  knew  she  was  pretty,  and  it  was 
pleasant  to  be  pretty,  and  there  was  an 
end  of  it.  But  to  Bell,  in  whose  family 
either  brown  locks  or  red  were  the  rule,  this 
white  and  gold  maiden,  with  her  cool,  fresh 
tints  of  pearl  and  rose,  was  something  won 
derful.  Hildegarde' s  dress  this  morning  was 


62  HILDEGARDE'S  NEIGHBORS. 

certainly  nothing  astonishing,  simply  a  white 
cambric  powdered  with  buttercups ;  but  its 
perfect  freshness,  its  trim  simplicity,  made  it 
so  absolutely  the  fit  and  proper  thing,  that 
Bell's  honest  heart  did  homage  to  the  lovely 
vision  ;  there  was  something  almost  like  rever 
ence  in  her  eyes  as  she  returned  Hildegarde's 
cordial  greeting.  As  for  the  young  Gertrude, 
all  the  world  was  fairyland  to  her,  and  Hilde- 
garde  was  the  queen,  opening  the  door  of  a 
new  province.  The  most  important  thing  in 
life  was  not  to  fall  or  drop  anything  on  this 
first  visit  to  the  strange  and  wonderful  old 
house,  as  all  the  Merry  weathers  persisted  in 
calling  Braeside.  Gertrude  was  always  fall 
ing  and  dropping  things.  At  home  nobody 
expected  anything  else ;  but  here  it  was  dif 
ferent,  and  the  poor  child  was  conscious  of 
every  finger  and  toe  as  she  stepped  along 
gingerly.  Gerald's  parting  words  were  still 
ringing  in  her  ears : 


HILDEGARDE'S  NEIGHBORS.  63 

"  When  you  feel  that  you  must  fall  down, 
Dropsy,  be  careful  not  to  fall  into  shelves  of 
china, —  that's  all.  Bookcases  are  the  best 
things  to  fall  into,  you  '11  find ;  and  a  book  is 
the  best  thing  to  drop,  too,  my  poor  child. 
When  you  feel  the  fit  coming  on,  put  down 
the  teacup  and  grab  a  dictionary;  then 
choose  the  toe  you  want  it  to  fall  on, —  super 
fluous  aunt  of  the  family,  or  some  one  of  that 
sort? — and  you  are  all  right.  Bless  you, 
Dropsy !  Farewell,  my  dear !  " 

Hildegarde  took  the  girls  directly  up  to  her 
room,  and  they  admired  all  her  arrangements 
as  heartily  as  she  could  wish.  Bell  exclaimed 
with  amazement  at  the  size  of  the  room. 

"  To  have  all  this  for  your  own,  your  castle 
and  defence,"  she  cried.  "What  would  the 
girls  at  college  say  if  they  could  see  such  a 
room  as  this,  and  one  girl  living  in  it ! 
Twelve  by  fourteen  is  our  rule,  and  two  girls 
to  that." 


64  HILDEGARDE'S  NEIGHBORS. 

"Dear -me!"  said  Hildegarde.  "Why,  I 
could  n't  live  without  room." 

"  Oh  yes,  you  could  !  "  said  Bell,  laughing. 
"  One  gets  used  to  everything.  It 's  rather 
good  fun  seeing  how  closely  one  can  pack. 
We  have  sixty-five  pictures  in  our  room,  my 
chum  and  I.  Oh,  you  have  my  William  !  I 
didn't  know  anyone  else  had  just  exactly 
that  portrait." 

"  Your  William,  indeed  ! "  cried  Hildegarde, 
laughing.  "  Why,  he  is  mine,  my  very  own, 
and  no  one  ever  began  to  love  him  as  I  do." 

The  two  girls  fell  into  a  friendly  discus 
sion,  and  ran  lightly  over  the  history  of  the 
Netherlands,  with  occasional  excursions  to 
Italy,  the  Highlands,  or  the  south  of  France, 
as  one  picture  or  another  claimed  their  at 
tention.  Hildegarde  was  enjoying  herself 
immensely,  and  did  the  honours  with  ardour, 
delighted  to  find  that  the  "college  girl"  knew 
all  about  the  things  she  loved,  without  being 
in  the  least  bookish  or  prosy. 


HILDEGARDE'S  NEIGHBORS.  65 

"  I  thought  you  would  be  '  primmed  up 
with  majestic  pride,'  "  she  said,  laughing.  "  I 
was  frightened  when  your  little  brother  said 
you  were  at  college,  and  I  instantly  saw  you 
with  spectacles,  ancl  pale,  lank  hair  done  up 
in  a  bob  on  the  top  of  your  head.  And  then 
-then  you  came  over  the  top  of  the  fence, 
looking  like  —  like  — 

"  Like  what  ?  "  said  Bell.  "  I  insist  upon 
knowing." 

"You  are  sure  you  don't  mind?"  asked 
Hildegarde,  as  Bell  herself  had  asked  the  day 
before.  "  You  looked  like  an  apple,  —  so 
exactly  like  a  nice  red  and  white  Benoni  I 
was  sure  you  must  be  good  to  eat.  Oh,  I  am 
so  glad  you  came  !  " 

"  So  am  I !  "  said  Bell. 

"  Do  you  think  we  might  drop  the  '  Miss ' 
part  ?  "  inquired  Hildegarde,  "  or  are  you  too 
dignified  ?  " 

"Apples  must  not  stand  on  dignity,"  re- 


66  HILDEGARDE'S  NEIGHBORS. 

plied  Bell,  gravely.  "  But  I  have  wanted  to 
say  '  Hildegarde '  ever  since  I  came  into  this 
room,  because  the  name  just  fits  the  room  — 
and  you." 

At  this  point  Gertrude,  who  had  forgotten 
her  destiny  in  the  joy  of  pictures,  and  was 
backing  round  the  walls  in  silent  ecstasy,  saw 
—  or  rather  did  not  see  —  her  opportunity, 
and  fell  quietly  downstairs.  One  special  feat 
ure  of  Hildegarde' s  room  was  the  staircase, 
her  own  private  staircase,  of  which  she  was 
immensely  proud.  It  was  a  narrow,  winding 
stair,  very  steep  and  crooked,  leading  to  the 
ground  .floor.  When  Gertrude  disappeared 
down  this  gulf  with  a  loud  crash,  Hildegarde 
was  much  alarmed,  and  flew  to  the  rescue, 
followed  more  leisurely  by  Bell. 

"  Are  you  much  hurt,  my  dear  ? "  cried 
Hildegarde.  "  Wait  till  I  come  and  pick  you 
up,  poor  child !  " 

"  Oh  no ! "   replied  Gertrude,  softly,  from 


HILDEGARDE'S  NEIGHBORS.  67 

the  foot  of  the  stairs,  where  she  lay  doubled 
up  against  the  door.  "  Thank  you,  but  I 
never  hurt  myself.  I  hope  I  haven't  hurt 
the  stairs." 

Bell  came  along,  laughing.  "  Dear  Dropsy ! " 
she  said.  "  Here,  come  up  !  She  really  never 
does  hurt  herself,"  she  added,  in  response  to 
Hildegarde's  look  of  astonishment.  "  She 
falls  about  so  much,  and  has  done  so  since 
she  was  a  baby,  that  she  keeps  in  training,  I 
suppose,  and  her  joints  and  bones  are  all 
supple  and  elastic.  This  was  a  good  one, 
though !  Sure  you  are  not  bruised,  little 
girl  ?  " 

Gertrude  picked  herself  up,  declining  assist 
ance,  and  maintained  stoutly  that  she  was 
sound  in  wind  and  limb.  "  If  only  I  did  not 
break  anything,"  she  said,  anxiously.  "  I 
came  a  terrible  crack  against  the  panel  here, 
and  it  seemed  as  if  something  gave  as  I  fell 
past  it." 


68  HILDEGARDE' s  NEIGHBORS. 

Bell  bent  down,  in  spite  of  Hildegarde' s 
assurance  that  everything  was  right,  and 
passed  her  hand  along  the  wall  of  the  stair 
case.  "  There  is  no  crack,"  she  said.  "  I  think 
it  is  all  right,  Toots."  She  tapped  the  panel 
critically.  "  The  wall  is  hollow  here,"  she  said. 
"  Is  this  your  secret  chamber,  Hildegarde  ?  " 

"  Hollow  ? "  cried  Hildegarde.  "  What  do 
you  mean,  Bell  ?  I  know  of  no  hollow  place 
there." 

"  Have  you  ever  looked  for  one  ? "  Bell 
inquired.  "  Search  would  reveal  something 
in  there,  I  am  pretty  sure." 

Thrilled  with  curiosity,  Hildegarde  came 
down,  and  the  three  girls  crouched  together 
on  the  narrow  stair,  and  tapped  and  rapped 
here  and  there.  Beyond  a  doubt,  one  panel 
was  hollow.  What  could  it  mean  ? 

Bell  meditated.  "  What  is  on  the  other 
side  of  this  place  ?  "  she  asked. 

"I  — don't  know,"  said  Hildegarde.  "  Stop 


HILDEGARDE'S  NEIGHBORS.  69 

a  moment,  though  !  It  must  be, —  yes,  it  is  ! 
The  old  chimney,  the  great  square  stack, 
comes  near  this  place.  Can  there  be  any 
space  — 

"  Then  it  is  a  secret  chamber,  most  likely," 
said  Bell.  "  I  have  heard  of  such  things. 
Shall  we  try  ?  " 

They  tried  eagerly,  pressing  here,  pushing 
there,  but  for  some  time  in  vain.  At  length, 
as  Hildegarde's  strong  fingers  pressed  hard 
on  one  spot  of  moulding,  she  felt  it  quiver. 
There  was  a  faint  sound,  like  a  murmur  of 
protest:  then  slowly,  unwillingly,  the  panel 
moved,  obedient  to  the  insistent  fingers,  and 
slid  aside,  revealing  a  square  opening  into- 
the  blackness  of  darkness. 

"  Oh,  it 's  a  dungeon  !  "  cried  Gertrude, 
starting  back.  "  Perhaps  the  floor  will  give 
way,  and  let  us  down  into  places  with  knives 
and  scythes.  You  remember  '  The  Dumber- 
dene/  Bell?" 


70  HILDEGARDE'S  NEIGHBORS. 

"  No  fear,  Gertrude,"  said  Hildegarde. 
"  Nothing  more  horrible  than  the  dining- 
room  is  under  our  feet.  But  this,  —  this  is 
very  mysterious.  Can  you  see  anything, 
Bell  ?  " 

"  I  begin  to  get  a  faint  glimmer,"  said 
Bell.  "Of  course,  if  it  is  a  chimney-room 
there  cannot  be  any  particular  light.  Shall 
we  creep  in  ?  There  is  evidently  a  good 
deal  of  space." 

"  By  all  means,"  cried  Hildegarde.  "  But 
let  me  go  first,  to  bear  the  brunt  of  any 
horrors  there  may  be.  Spiders  I  would  not 
face,  but  they  must  all  be  dead  years 
ago." 

She  crept  in  on  her  hands  and  knees, 
closely  followed  by  the  two  Merry  weathers. 
Growing  accustomed  to  the  dimness,  they 
found  themselves  in  a  small  square  chamber, 
high  enough  for  them  to  stand  upright.  The 
walls  were  smooth,  and  thick  with  dust ;  the 


HILDEGARDE'S  NEIGHBORS.  71 

floor  was  carpeted  with  something  that  felt 
soft  and  close,  like  an  Eastern  rug. 

"  We  simply  must  have  light !  "  cried 
Hildegarde.  "  Wait,  girls  !  I  will  bring  a 
candle  and  matches." 

"  No  !  no  !  "  cried  Bell.  "  Wait  a  moment ! 
I  think  I  have  found  a  window,  or  something 
like  one,  if  I  can  only  get  it  open." 

Again  there  was  a  soft,  complaining  sound, 
and  then  a  sliding  movement ;  a  tiny  panel 
was  pushed  aside,  and  a  feeble  ray  of  light 
stole  in.  The  girls'  faces  glimmered  white 
against  the  blackness. 

"  Something  obstructs  the  light,"  said 
Hildegarde.  "  See !  this  is  it."  She  put 
her  arm  out  through  the  little  opening,  and 
pushed  away  a  dense  mass  of  vines  that  hung 
down  like  a  thick  curtain.  "  That  is  better," 
she  said.  "  Now  let  us  see  where  we  are." 

It  was  a  curious  place,  surely,  to  lie  hidden 
in  the  heart  of  a  comparatively  modern 


72  HILDEGARDE'S  NEIGHBORS. 

house.  A  square  room,  perhaps  eight  feet 
across,  neatly  papered  with  the  blue-dragon 
paper  of  Hildegarde's  own  room ;  on  the  floor 
an  old  rug,  faded  to  a  soft,  nameless  hue, 
but  soft  and  fine.  On  the  walls  hung  a 
few  pictures,  quaint  little  coloured  wood-cuts 
in  gilt  frames,  representing  ladies  and  gentle 
men  in  scant  gowns  and  high-shouldered 
frock-coats.  There  were  two  little  chairs, 
painted  blue,  with  roses  on  the  backs  ;  a  low 
table,  and  a  tiny  chest  of  drawers.  The  girls 
looked  at  each  other,  a  new  light  dawning 
in  their  faces. 

"  It  is  a  doll's  room,"  said  Gertrude,  softly, 
with  an  awe-stricken  look. 

"  I  know  !  I  know  whose  room  it  was  !  " 
cried  Hildegarde.  "  Wait,  oh,  wait !  I  am 
sure  we  shall  find  something  else.  I  will  tell 
you  all  about  it  in  a  moment,  but  now  let  us 
look  and  find  all  we  can." 

With   beating    hearts    they   searched    the 


HILDEGARDE'S  NEIGHBORS.  73 

corners  of  the  little  chamber.  Presently 
Hildegarde  uttered  a  cry,  and  drew  some 
thing  forward  into  the  light  of  the  little 
window ;  a  good-sized  object,  carefully  cov 
ered  with  white  cloth,  neatly  stitched  to 
gether.  Hildegarde  took  out  her  pocket 
scissors,  and  snipped  with  ardour,  then  drew 
off  the  cover.  It  was  a  doll's  bedstead,  of 
polished  mahogany,  with  four  pineapple- 
topped  posts,  exactly  like  the  great  one  in 
which  Hildegarde  herself  slept  ;  and  in  it, 
under  dainty  frilled  sheets,  blankets  and 
coverlid,  lay  two  of  the  prettiest  dolls  that 
ever  were  seen.  Their  nightgowns  were  of 
fine  linen ;  the  nightcaps,  tied  under  their 
dimpled  chins,  were  sheer  lawn,  exquisitely 
embroidered.  One  tiny  waxen  hand  lay  out 
side  the  coverlid,  and  in  it  was  a  folded  pjece 
of  paper. 

"  Oh,    Hildegarde  !  "     cried    Bell,    "  what 
does  it  mean  ?  " 


74  HILDEGARDE'S  NEIGHBORS. 

Gertrude  was  in  tears  by  this  time,  the  big 
crystal  drops  rolling  silently  down  her  cheeks  ; 
her  heart  was  wrung,  she  (Jid  not  know  why. 

"  Hester  Aytoun,"  said  Hildegarde,  softly. 
"  This  must  have  been  her  playroom,  Bell. 
She  used  to  live  here  ;  it  is  about  her  that  I 
wanted  to  tell  you.  But  first  let  us  see  what 
she  has  written  here.  I  think  she  would  be 
willing  ;  we  are  girls,  too,  and  I  don't  think 
Hester  would  mind." 

There  were  tears  in  Hildegarde' s  voice,  if 
not  in  her  eyes,  as  she  read  the  writing,  now 
yellow  with  age  : 

"I,  Hester  Aytoun,  being  now  sixteen  years  old,  am 
putting  away  my  dear  dolls,  the  dearest  dolls  in  the  world. 
Sister  Barbara  says  I  am  far  too  old  for  such  childish 
things ;  but  I  shall  never  be  too  old  in  my  heart,  though 
I  may  well  busy  myself  with  household  matters,  especially 
if  I  must  marry  Tom  in  three  years,  as  he  says.  So  I 
put  away  my  dear  dolls,  and  T  shall  shut  up  the  play 
room,  also,  for  I  could  not  think  to  pass  by  it  each  day 
and  not  go  in  to  see  them,  and  that  Sister  Barbara  will 
not  allow.  It  may  be  that  no  one  will  find  my 


READING  HESTER'S  LETTER 


HILDEGARDE'S  NEIGHBORS.  75 

playroom  till  I  show  it  myself  to  my  little  children,  if 
God  wills  that  I  have  them,  which  I  shall  pray  always, 
now  that  I  may  not  have  my  dolls  any  more.  But  if  that 
should  not  be,  or  I  should  be  taken  away,  then  I  think 
no  harm  to  pray  that  a  girl  like  myself  may  one  day 
find  my  playroom  that  father  made  for  me, — my  own 
room,  where  I  have  been  a  very  happy  child.  A  man 
would  never  know  what  it  meant,  but  a  girl  would  know, 
and  if  it  should  so  hap,  I  pray  her  to  be  gentle  with  the 
bedstead,  for  one  leg  is  weakly ;  and  if  she  will  leave  my 
dear  dolls,  when  she  has  well  played  with  them,  I  shall 
bless  her  always  for  a  gentle  maiden,  wherever  I  be.  So 
farewell,  says  „  HESTER  AYTOUN." 

All  three  girls  were  crying  by  this  time, 
and  little  Gertrude  laid  her  head  on  her 
sister's  shoulder  and  sobbed  aloud.  Bell 
smoothed  her  hair  with  light,  motherly 
touches,  drying  her  own  eyes  the  while. 
Hildegarde  sat  silent  for  a  while,  the  letter 
in  her  hand  ;  then  she  folded  it  again/  and 
gently,  reverently  laid  it  again  in  the  doll's 
hand. 

"  Dear  Hester !  "  she  said,  "  we  do  know, 
dear  ;  we  do  understand,,  indeed." 


76  HILDEGARDE'S  NEIGHBORS. 

And  then,  sitting  on  the  floor  by  the  pretty 
bedstead,  and  speaking  softly  and  tenderly, 
she  told  the  two  girls  of  that  other  maiden 
who  had  lived  and  died  in  this  old  house,  - 
the  bright,  beautiful  Hester  Aytoun,  who 
faded  in  her  springtime  loveliness,  and  died  at 
eighteen  years  ;  who  had  left  everywhere  the 
traces  of  her  presence,  soft,  fragrant,  like  the 
smell  of  the  flowers  in  her  own  garden. 

"  I  chose  my  bedroom,  that  you  like,"  said 
Hildegarde,  "  because  I  felt  sure,  somehow, 
that  it  had  been  hers.  I  never  had  a  sister, 
girls,  but  Hester  seems  to  me  like  my  sister ; 
and  sometimes "  —  she  hesitated,  and  her 
voice  fell  still  lower  — "  sometimes  I  have 
felt  as  if  she  wished  it  to  be  so,  —  as  if  she 
liked  to  come  now  and  then  and  see  the  old 
home,  and  give  a  loving  look  and  word  to 
the  things  she  used  to  care  for  so  much.  I 
am  glad  we  found  this  place,  but  I  don't 
think  I  shall  tell  anyone  else  about  it,  except 


HILDEGARDE'S  NEIGHBORS.  77 

mamma,  of  course,  and  Jack,  when  he  comes 
home." 

Very  gently  the  three  girls  laid  the  white 
covering  back  over  the  little  dolls,  who  lay 
quiet  and  rosy,  and  seemed  as  content  as 
ever  was  Sleeping  Beauty  in  her  tower. 
They  peeped  into  the  chest  of  drawers,  and 
found  it  full  of  dainty  frocks  and  petticoats, 
all  exquisitely  made ;  there  was  even  a  pile 
of  tiny  handkerchiefs,  marked  "Annabel" 
and  "  Celia."  This  sight  made  Gertrude's 
tears  flow  afresh ;  she  was  a  tender-hearted 
child,  and  tears  fell  from  her  eyes  as  softly 
and  naturally  as  dew  from  a  flower. 

When  all  was  seen,  they  closed  the  little 
window,  and  with  a  mute  farewell  to  the 
sweet  guardian  spirit  of  the  little  place,  —  the 
girl  who  had  loved  her  dolls,  and  so  made 
herself  dear  to  all  other  girls,  —  the  three 
withdrew,  and  softly,  reluctantly  drew  the 
sliding  panel  after  them. 


78  HILDEGARDE'S  NEIGHBORS. 

"  I  shall  not  forget,"  whispered  Hildegarde, 
who  was  the  last  to  leave  the  secret  chamber ; 
"I  shall  come  sometimes,  Hester  dear,  and 
sit  there,  just  I  myself,  and  we  will  talk 
together,  the  dolls  and  I.  I  shall  not  forget." 

The  panel  slid  into  its  place  with  a  faint 
vlick;  no  sign  was  left,  only  the  white 
wainscoting,  one  panel  like  another,  and  the 
crooked  stair  winding  up  to  the  open,  airy 
room  above. 


HILDEGARDE'S  NEIGHBORS.  79 


CHAPTER   V. 

TEA    AT    ROSEHOLME. 

Ox  a  certain  lovely  evening  in  June, 
Hildegarde  left  the  house  at  six  o'clock, 
or,  to  be  precise,  at  five  minutes  before  six, 
and  took  the  path  that  led  to  Roseholme. 
It  was  her  eighteenth  birthday,  and  the 
Colonel  was  giving  her  a  tea-party.  This 
was  a  great  event,  for  many  years  had 
passed  since  guests  had  been  invited  to  Rose- 
holme.  The  good  Colonel,  always  delighted 
to  be  with  Hildegarde  and  her  mother,  had 
still  kept  up  his  solitary  habits  at  home,  and 
save  for  little  Hugh,  who  flitted  about  the 
dark  old  house  like  a  sunbeam,  it  was  a 
lonely  place.  Now,  however,  the  Colonel  had 


80  HILDEGARDE'S  NEIGHBORS. 

roused  himself  and  declared  that  he,  and  no 
other,  should  give  his  young  friend  her  birth 
day  treat.  The  Merry  weathers  were  invited, 
all  except  the  two  youngest,  Will  and  Kitty. 
Mrs.  Grahame  was  already  there,  having 
gone  over  early,  at  the  Colonel's  request,  to 
help  in  arranging  certain  little  matters  which 
he  considered  beyond  the  province  of  his 
good  housekeeper ;  and  now  it  was  time  for 
the  "  beneficiary,"  as  Gerald  Merry  weather 
called  her,  to  follow. 

Hildegarde  was  dressed  in  white,  of  course ; 
she  always  wore  white  in  the  evening.  Miss 
Loftus,  her  neighbour  in  the  new  stone  house, 
sometimes  expressed  wonder  at  that  Graharne 
girl's  wearing  white  so  much,  when  they 
had  n't  means  to  keep  so  much  as  a  pony  to 
carry  their  mail ;  her  wonder  might  have 
been  set  at  rest  if  she  could  have  peeped  into 
the  airy  kitchen  at  Braeside,  and  seen  Hilde 
garde  singing  at  her  ironing-table  in  the 


HILDEGARDE'S  NEIGHBORS.  81 

early  morning,  before  the  sun  was  hot. 
Auntie,  the  good  black  cook,  washed  the 
dresses  generally,  though  Hildegarde  could  do 
that,  too,  if  she  was  "put  to  it;"  but  Hilde 
garde  liked  the  ironing,  and  took  as  much 
pride  —  or  nearly  as  much  —  in  her  own 
hems  and  ruffles  as  she  did  in  the  delicate 
laces  which  she  "  did  up "  for  her  mother. 
Her  dress  this  evening  was  sheer  white  lawn, 
and  she  had  a  white  rose  in  her  hair,  and 
another  in  her  belt,  and,  altogether,  she  was 
pleasant  to  look  upon.  Gerald  Merryweather, 
who  with  his  brother  was  making  his  way 
along  another  path  in  the  same  direction,  saw 
the  girl,  and  straightway  glowed  with  all  the 
ardour  of  seventeen. 

"  I  say !  "  he  exclaimed,  under  his  breath, 
"isn't  she  stunning?  Look,  Ferg,  you  old 
ape  !  Ever  see  anything  like  that  ? " 

Ferguson,  who  was  of  a  cooler  tempera 
ment,  replied  without  enthusiasm,  maintain- 


82  HILDEGARDE'S  NEIGHBORS. 

ing  that  there  had  been,  in  the  history  of 
womankind,  maidens  as  beautiful  as  Miss 
Grahame,  or  even  more  so.  Becoming  warm 
in  the  discussion,  the  two  grappled,  and  rolled 
over  and  over  at  Hildegarde's  feet.  She  gave 
a  little  scream,  and  then  laughed.  "Any 
one  hurt?"  she  asked.  "If  not,  perhaps  I 
had  better  brush  you  off  a  bit  before  we  go 
into  the  house." 

"  A  nice  opinion  you  will  have  of  us,  Miss 
Grahame,"  said  Gerald,  as  he  stood  still  to  be 
brushed.  "  We  can  stand  straight,  and  walk, 
too,  like  other  people,  though  you  may  not 
believe  it.  But,  you  see,  Ferguson  is  so  exas 
perating  that  he  disturbs  my  equilibrium,  and 
then  I  have  to  disturb  his,  that  we  may  con 
tinue  in  brotherly  companionship.  He  was 
just  saying  that  the  sun  was  no  brighter  than 
v  the  stars." 

"  No  more  it  is,  I  suppose,"   said   uncon 
scious   Hildegarde,   "  if    you    are   only   near 


HILDEGARDE'S  NEIGHBORS.  83 

enough  to  one,  or  far  enough  from  the  other. 
Shall  I  brush  you,  too,  Mr.  Ferg-  I  beg 
your  pardon,  Mr.  Merry  weather  ?  " 

"  Oh,"  cried  Gerald,  dancing  on  one  foot, 
"  observe  his  blushes  !  Observe  the  cabbage 
rose  in  all  its  purple  pride  !  Is  n't  he  lovely  ? 
But  you  are  not  going  to  call  us  '  Mister,'  in 
earnest,  Miss  Grahame  ?  You  cannot  have 
the  heart !  We  are  not  accustomed  to  it,  and 
there  is  no  knowing  what  effect  it  may  have 
on  my  ardent  nature,  or  on  Ferguson's  flabby 
disposition."  Ferguson  extended  a  long  arm 
and  shook  his  brother  with  calm  energy,  till 
his  teeth  rattled  together. 

"  Really,  if  you  would  n't,  please,"  he  said, 
in  his  quiet  voice.  "  Gerald  is  a  lunatic,  of 
course,  and  ought  to  be  kept  in  a  barrel  and 
fed  through  the  bung-hole, —  only  my  mother 
has  scruples;  but  we  are  'just  the  boys,'  and 
nobody  ever  does  call  us  by  handles,  you  see. 
So  if  you  would  n't  mind  —  " 


84  HILDEGARDE'S  NEIGHBORS. 

"  I  shall  be  delighted !  "  said  Hildegarde. 
"  Bell  and  I  have  already  come  to  first  names, 
and  I  am  sure  you  boys  are  both  too  jolly  to 
be  ceremonious  with ;  so  —  Gerald,  here  we 
are  at  the  house,  and  now  you  really  will 
have  to  stay  right  side  up,  with  care." 

They  went  together  into  the  wide,  bare 
hall,  with  its  dark  panels  hung  with  family 
portraits.  Colonel  Ferrers  came  to  meet 
them,  erect  and  soldierly.  He  kissed  Hilde 
garde' s  cheek,  and  greeted  the  boys  with  a 
cordial  shake  of  the  hand. 

"  Glad  to  see  you,  young  people  !  "  he  said, 
in  the  gruff  voice  which  held  the  very  spirit 
of  kindliness.  "  Glad  to  see  you !  Hilde 
garde,  many  happy  returns  of  the  day  to  you, 
my  dear  child  !  Take  my  arm,  I  beg  !  " 

With  Hildegarde  on  his  arm,  he  led  the 
way  to  the  pretty  clra wing-room,  all  white 
and  gold  and  yellow  satin,  which  was  seldom 
used  in  these  days.  Hildegarde  had  secretly 


HILDEGARDE'S  NEIGHBORS.  85 

hoped  that  they  would  sit  in  the  library,  a 
delightful  brown-leather  sort  of  room,  to 
which  she  had  grown  well  used ;  but  she 
appreciated  the  compliment  of  opening  the 
drawing-room,  and  put  on  her  best  smile  and 
look  of  pleasure.  Hugh  Allen  left  his  station 
by  Mrs.  Grahame's  chair,  and  came  running 
with  open  arms  to  meet  his  Beloved.  "Oh, 
glory  of  the  sunrise !  "  he  exclaimed,  as  he 
threw  his  arms  round  her  neck.  "  I  hope 
you  will  live  fifty  thousand  years,  and  have 
strawberry  jam  every  single  day  of  them !  " 

"  Dear  me  !  "  cried  Hildegarde.  "  I  should 
beg  for  gooseberry  once  a  week,  dear  boy,  if 
it  were  going  on  quite  so  long  as  that.  Well, 
my  mother,  you  look  like  the  Queen  of 
Conspirators.  What  have  you  and  Hugh 
been  talking  about,  that  you  both  look  so 
guilty?" 

"  Guilty,  my  dear  Hildegarde  ?  "  said  Mrs. 
Grahame,  drawing  herself  up.  "  The  word  is 


86  HILDEGARDE'S  NEIGHBORS. 

a  singular  one  for  a  daughter  to  use  to  her 
mother." 

"  Yes,"  said  Hildegarde,  "  it  is !  and  the 
thing  is  a  singular  one  for  a  mother  to  be 
toward  her  daughter.  If  ever  I  saw  PLOT 
written  all  over  an  expressive  countenance, — 
but  no  more  of  this !  Dear  Colonel  Ferrers, 
how  wonderful  the  roses  are  !  " 

Surely  there  never  were  so  many  roses  as 
at  Roseholme.  The  house  had  been  ran 
sacked  for  jars,  vases  and  bowls  to  hold  them, 
and  every  available  surface  was  a  mass  of 
glowing  blossoms.  The  girls  hovered  from 
vase  to  vase,  exclaiming  with  delight  at  each 
new  combination  of  beauties. 

Now  tea  was  announced,  and  this  time 
Colonel  Ferrers  offered  his  arm  to  Mrs.  Merry- 
weather,  as  the  stranger  and  new-comer  in 
the  neighbourhood ;  but  the  good  lady  pro 
tested  against  anyone  but  the  "  birthday 
child "  being  taken  in  by  the  host,  and  the 


HILDEGARDE'S  NEIGHBORS.  87 

Colonel  yielded,  it  must  be  said  with  a  very 
good  grace. 

Here,  in  the  long,  oak-panelled  dining-room 
were  more  roses, —  ropes  and  garlands  of 
them,  hanging  in  festoons  along  the  dark, 
shining  panels,  drooping  from  the  Venetian 
lustres  of  the  quaint  chandelier.  Even  the 
moose's  head  on  the  wall  behind  the  Colonel's 
chair  had  a  wreath,  cocked  slightly  on  one 
side,  which  gave  a  waggish  look  to  the  stately 
creature.  The  huge  antlers  spread  abroad, 
three  feet  on  either  side ;  the  boys  eyed  the 
trophy  with  wondering  delight.'1 

"  Oh,  I  say,  sir !  "  cried  Gerald,  "  did  you 
shoot  that  moose?  I  never  saw  such  a  fel 
low.  Why,  Roger  shot  one  last  year  that  we 
thought  was  the  grandfather  moose  of  the 
world,  but  he  was  a  baby  to  this  one." 

The  Colonel  smiled,  well-pleased,  and  told 
the  story  of  his  shooting  the  great  moose. 

"And   who   is   Roger?"     he  asked,  then. 


88  HILDEGARDE'S  NEIGHBORS. 

"  Have  you  yet  more  treasures,  Mrs.  Merry- 
weather  ?  Surely  none  old  enough  to  go 
moose-hunting  ?  " 

"  Roger  is  not  my  own  child,  Colonel 
Ferrers,"  said  Mrs.  Merryweather,  smiling. 
"  I  always  have  to  remind  myself  of  the 
fact,  for  he  seems  like  my  own.  He  is  my 
husband's  half-brother,  many  years  younger 
than  he,  —  the  dearest  fellow  in  the  world, 
and  really  a  delightful  combination  of  son 
and  brother.  I  hope  he  will  be  here  before 
long.  And  that  reminds  me,  —  have  I  made 
my  husband's  apologies  ?  I  am  so  sorry  he 
could  not  come  !  " 

"  I  regret  it  heartily,  my  dear  madam," 
said  the  Colonel,  with  a  courtly  bow ;  and 
he  recalled  how  Mr.  Merryweather  had  con 
fided  to  him  the  other  day  that  he  drew  the 
line  at  going  out  in  the  evening,  and  would 
not  exchange  his  own  fireside  for  the  King 
of  Dahomey's.  He  thought  it  probable  that 


HILDEGARDE'S  NEIGHBORS.  89 

the  excellent  Miles  was  at  this  moment  sit 
ting  with  pipe  and  newspaper  on  the  back 
veranda  of  his  house ;  and  if  it  had  not  been 
Hildegarde's  birthday,  the  Colonel  might 
have  wished  himself  beside  him.  As  it  was, 
however,  he  devoted  himself  to  his  guests 
with  such  hearty  good-will  that  the  tea-table 
soon  rang  with  merry  talk  and  laughter. 

The  high-tea  itself  was  beyond  praise ; 
Mrs.  Beadle  had  seen  to  that.  Mrs.  Gra- 
hame's  Auntie  herself  might  have  been  jeal 
ous  of  the  jellied  chicken ;  and  salad  was 
green  and  gold,  and  rolls  were  snowy  white, 
and  strawberries  glowed  like  sunset;  and  over 
all  were  roses,  roses,  making  the  whole  table 
a  floral  offering,  as  Gerald  said.  Then,  just 
before  everybody  had  reached  the  "  no  more  " 
point,  the  good  Guiseppe,  who  had  been  stand 
ing,  stately,  behind  his  master's  chair,  darted 
out,  and  in  a  moment  returned,  bearing  on  a 
huge  silver  salver,  —  what  was  it  ?  Behind 


90  HILDEGARDE'S  NEIGHBORS. 

Guiseppe  was  seen  the  portly  form  of  good 
Mrs.  Beadle,  beaming  under  her  best  cap ; 
Guiseppe's  own  face  was  one  broad,  dark 
smile.  A  general  chorus  broke  from  all  save 
the  host  and  Mrs.  Grahame ;  Hugh  gave  a 
squeak  of  joy  in  which  was  no  surprise. 

"  I  knew  they  would  like  it !  "  he  cried, 
clapping  his  hands.  "  I  knew  they  would  be 
surprised,  and  that  the  hair  of  their  scalps 
would  be  uplifted.  It  is  yours,  Beloved ;  it  is 
for  you !  " 

A  cake  !  Who  had  ever  seen  such  a  cake  ? 
It  must  have  been  baked  in  the  biggest 
cheese-frame  that  the  dairy  could  supply; 
or  the  rim  of  a  cart-wheel  might  have  been 
used  to  frame  its  monstrous  circle.  Cer 
tainly,  as  Guiseppe  set  it  down  before  Hilde- 
garde,  it  seemed  to  cover  the  whole  width 
of  the  great  table.  On  its  top  the  frosting 
was  piled  high,  in  fantastic  shapes.  There 
seemed  to  be  little  hills  and  valleys;  and 


HILDEGARDE'S  NEIGHBORS.  91 

from  among  these  peeped  —  and  did  they 
only  seem  to  move  ?  —  a  number  of  tiny 
figures  in  green  and  gold.  One  sat  astride 
of  a  snowy  pinnacle,  another  lay  stretched 
at  full  length  in  a  hollow,  his  pretty  face 
only  peering  out ;  some  were  chasing  each 
other  among  the  elfin  hills,  others  were  stand 
ing  at  ease,  their  hands  on  their  hearts,  their 
forms  bent  gracefully  as  if  in  salutation.  In 
the  middle  rose  a  white  throne,  and  on  this 
sat  the  prettiest  fairy  of  all,  with  a  crown  on 
her  head  and  a  wand  in  her  hand ;  she  was 
dressed  in  white  and  gold,  and  round  her 
danced  a  circle  of  elves ;  and  every  elf  held 
a  tiny  blazing  candle. 

"  Are  you  too  old  for  dolls,  Hildegarde  ?  " 
asked  the  Colonel,  puffing  with  pleasure  as 
he  saw  the  delight  in  the  girl's  face.  "  These 
are  birthday  fairies,  you  observe.  There  are 
eighteen  of  them,  and  every  one  of  them 
wishes  you  good  luck,  my  dear,  and  every 


92  HILDEGARDE'S  NEIGHBORS. 

happiness,  every  blessing  that  Heaven  can 
bestow." 

The  good  Colonel  had  begun  merrily 
enough,  but  before  the  end  of  his  little 
speech  his  deep  voice  trembled,  and  the  tears 
stood  in  Hildegarde's  eyes.  She  tried  to 
speak,  but  the  words  did  not  gome ;  so,  leav 
ing  her  seat,  she  went  quietly  up  to  the 
Colonel  and  kissed  his  forehead.  "  Thank 
you,  dear  friend !  "  she  said ;  and  it  was  all 
she  could  say. 

"  There  !  there  !  "  said  the  Colonel,  recover 
ing  himself  at  once.  "Glad  you  like  it,  my 
child  !  Glad  you  like  it !  The  fancy  was  my 
mother's ;  she  had  a  poetic  taste,  madam." 
He  turned  to  Mrs.  Merry  weather,  who  was 
beaming  with  admiration  and  delight.  "  She 
had  these  little  figures  made  long  ago, —  for 
another  eighteenth  birthday, —  a  dear  young 
friend  of  hers.  Yes,  yes!  They  have  been 
kept  in  cotton-wool  forty  years,  madam. 


HILDEGARDE'S  NEIGHBORS.  93 

Little  candle  holders,  you  perceive.  A  pretty 
fancy,  eli  ?  I  happened  to  remember  them  the 
other  day, —  hunted  'em  up,— the  result, 
thanks  to  Mrs.  Grahame  and  Elizabeth 
Beadle.  Mrs.  Beadle,  ma'am,  I  desire  that 
you  will  come  in,  and  not  skulk  in  the  door 
way  there,  as  if  you  had  reason  to  be  ashamed 
of  your  handiwork.  My  housekeeper,  Mrs. 
Beadle,  ladies  and  gentlemen:  a  good  woman, 
if  she  will  allow  me  to  say  so,  and  a  good 
cook.  Now,  Guiseppe,  a  knife  for  Miss  Gra 
hame,  and  we  will  test  the  quality  of  this 
same  cake.  Plenty  of  citron,  I  trust,  Eliza 
beth  Beadle?  No  little  skimpy  bits,  but 
wedges,  slabs  of  citron?  Ha!  that  is  as  it 
should  be.  She  wanted  to  make  a  white 
cake,  my  dear, —  a  light,  effervescent  kind  of 
thing,  that  can  hardly  be  tasted  in  the 
mouth ;  but  I  refused  to  insult  either  you  or 
my  traditions  in  such  a  manner.  A  birthday 
cake,  Mrs.  Grahame,  my  dear  madam,  should 


94  HILDEGARDE'S  NEIGHBORS. 

be  as  rich  as  spices  and  plums,  brandy  and 
citron, —  especially  citron,  which  I  take  to  be 
an  epitome  of  the  Orient,  gastronomically 
speaking, —  as  rich  as  all  manner  of  good 
things  can  make  it.  You  agree  with  me,  my 
young  friend  ?  "  He  nodded  to  Gerald,  whose 
eyes  met  his,  naming  with  approval. 

"  Oh,  don't  I,  sir  !  "  cried  Gerald.  "  When 
they  talk  about  wholesomeness  and  that  sort 
of  r  —  of  thing, —  well,  I  beg  your  pardon, 
mater  dear,  but  you  know  you  do,  sometimes, 
in  a  manner  to  turn  gray  the  hair, —  when 
they  do,  I  always  think  it 's  a  dreadful  shame 
to  have  wholesome  things  on  your  birthday. 
And  —  oh,  I  say!"  Here  he  relapsed  into 
silence,  as  the  first  slice  dropped  from  the 
side  of  the  great  cake,  revealing  depth  upon 
depth  of  richness.  The  two  mothers  shud 
dered  slightly,  and  exchanged  deploring 
smiles ;  but  Hugh  clasped  his  hands  in  rap 
ture,  and  lifted  up  his  voice  and  spoke. 


HILDEGARDE'S  NEIGHBORS.  95 

"  You  are  King  Solomon  to-day,  Guardian, 
are  n't  you, —  instead  of  other  kings,  as  some 
times  you  are  ?  And  my  great-aunt  is  the 
Queen  of  Sheba.  And  — fc  there  came  no  more 
such  abundance  of  spices  as  these  which  the 
Queen  of  Sheba  gave  to  King  Solomon.  And 
gold,  and  precious  stones,  and  knops  and 
flowers  '  -  -  oh,  see  them  all !  And,  Guardian, 
—  I  mean  King  Solomon,  do  you  think  there 
might  be  an  almug  tree  in  the  garden  ?  " 

When  tea  was  over,  the  Colonel  bowed  the 
ladies  out  of  the  room  with  punctilious  cour 
tesy,  and  motioned  to  Hugh  to  follow  them ; 
then  he  turned  to  the  two  Merry  weather  boys. 

"  May  I  offer  you  cigars,  young  gentle 
men  ? "  he  asked ;  and  he  took  a  couple  of 
cheroots  from  the  mantel-piece. 

The  boys  blushed  bravely,  but  Phil  said, 
quietly,  "  No,  thank  you,  sir.  We  are  not 
going  to  smoke  till  we  are  twenty-one. 
Father  thinks  that  is  soon  enough." 


96  HILDEGARDE'S  NEIGHBORS. 

The  Colonel  nodded  approvingly.  "  Your 
father  is  right ! "  he  said.  "  Very  right, 
indeed,  my  young  friend.  I  beg  you  to  take 
notice  that,  though  obliged  by  the  laws  of 
hospitality  to  offer  you  cigars,  I  should  have 
thought  it  unsuitable  if  you  had  accepted 
them.  Thirty  years  ago  I  should  have  been 
obliged  to  offer  you  wine,  also,  but  happily 
that  is  no  longer  necessary.  Forty  years  ago, 
-  hum,  ha !  If  you  will  permit  me,  I  will 
smoke  a  cheroot  for  the  party.  Your  father 
prefers  a  pipe,  I  believe,  but  give  me  a  Ma 
nilla  cheroot,  and  I  am  satisfied." 

"  Excuse  me,  sir,"  said  Gerald,  "  but 
weren't  you  going  to  say  something  else?" 

Colonel  Ferrers  smiled.  "  You  are  quick, 
my  boy,"  he  said.  "  I  was  indeed  thinking 
of  something  that  happened  forty  years  ago, 
—  of  my  first  smoke.  Possibly  you  might  be 
amused  to  hear  about  it  ?  " 

The  boys  seemed  to  think  there  was  no 


HILDEGARDE'S  NEIGHBORS.  97 

doubt  about  their  being  amused ;  they  drew 
up  two  ottomans  beside  the  Colonel's  arm 
chair,  and  prepared  to  listen,  open-mouthed. 

"  Forty  years  ago,  then,"  said  the  Colonel, 
"  or,  to  be  more  exact,  forty-five  years,  I  was 
a  lad  of  fifteen." 

He  paused,  and  smoked  in  silence  for  some 
minutes.  Gerald  could  not  help  thinking  of 
Alice  and  the  Mock  Turtle,  and  wondered 
what  would  happen  if  he  should  get  up  and 
say,  "  Thank  you,  sir,  for  your  interesting 
story."  But  he  held  his  peace,  and  waited. 

"  Fifteen  years  old,  young  gentlemen,  and 
a  sad  scapegrace,  I  am  sorry  to  say.  My 
poor  mother  had  an  anxious  time  of  it  with 
me.  I  was  in  the  water,  or  in  the  fire,  or  in 
the  clouds  from  morning  till  night,  as  it 
seems  on  looking  back.  But  with  all  my 
vagaries,  I  had  one  great  desire  which  had 
never  been  gratified, —  that  was,  to  smoke  a 
cigar.  My  father  was  a  clergyman,  and 


98  HILDEGARDE'S  NEIGHBORS. 

though  he  had  never  forbidden  my  smoking, 
I  should  never  have  dared  to  suggest  such  a 
thing  to  him,  for  he  was  strict  in  his  notions, 
in  many  ways.  Not  too  strict,  sir,  not  too 
strict,  by  any  means,  though  he  may  have 
seemed  so  to  me  then. 

"  To  make  a  long  story  short,  I  fell  in  with 
some  lads  of  my  own  way  of  thinking,  and 
we  determined  to  have  a  smoke.  We  gath 
ered  sweet  fern  and  dried  it,  and  rolled  cigars 
for  ourselves ;  odd-looking  things  they  were, 
but  we  were  vastly  proud  of  them.  When 
all  was  ready,  we  chose  a  dry,  warm  spot 
behind  a  dyke  (for  it  was  the  fall  of  the  year, 
and  the  days  growing  cold),  and  there  we 
lighted  our  cigars  and  fell  to  work,  puffing 
away  in  mighty  fine  style.  Well,  sir,  they 
were  horrible  things,  as  you  may  well  imag 
ine  ;  not  one  of  us,  I  '11  go  bail,  liked  them  in 
his  heart,  but  we  all  pretended  our  best,  and 
praised  the  cigars,  and  said  what  a  fine  thing 


HILDEGARDE'S  NEIGHBORS.  99 

it  was  to  smoke,  and  thought  ourselves  men, 
as  sure  as  if  we  had  felt  our  beards  pushing. 

"  By-and-by — I  have  the  feeling  of  it  still, 
when  I  think  of  it  —  I  chanced  to  look  up, 
and  saw  my  father  standing  over  the  top  of 
the  dyke,  looking  down  on  us.  The  other 
boys,  catching  sight  of  my  face,  lifted  their 
eyes  and  saw  him,  too ;  and  there  was  a 
pretty  moment.  He  said  never  a  word  for 
some  time  ;  no  more  did  we.  At  last,  '  What 
are  you  smoking,  boys  ? '  he  asked,  speaking 
in  his  usual  even  voice ;  yet  I  did  not  like  the 
sound  of  it,  somehow. 

"  So  we  told  him,  sweet  fern  ;  but  he  shook 
his  head  at  that.  '  That  is  poor  stuff,  indeed,' 
he  said.  '  Now,  if  you  must  smoke,  here  is 
something  worth  your  while.  Take  these, 
Thomas,  and  share  them  with  your  friends ; 
they  are  genuine,  and  I  hope  you  may  enjoy 
them.' 

"  With  that  he  took  a  parcel  of  cigars  from 


100  HILDEGARDE'S  NEIGHBORS. 

his  pocket,  and  handed  them  to  me;  then 
bowed  to  us  all  very  grand,  and  marched  off, 
never  looking  behind  him. 

"I  was  not  comfortable  in  my  mind  at 
this,  for  I  knew  my  father  pretty  well,  and 
had  looked  for  something  different;  but  the 
other  lads  were  in  high  feather,  and  lighted 
their  cigars  on  the  instant,  bidding  me  do 
likewise,  and  crying  out  that  my  father  was  a 
fine  old  buck,  and  that  I  was  a  lucky  fellow 
to  have  such  a  parent.  I  could  not  be  behind 
the  rest,  so  I  lit  up,  too,  and  for  a  few  minutes 
all  was  as  gay  as  a  feast.  But,  Harry  Mon- 
mouth,  sir !  in  half  an  hour  we  were  the 
sickest  boys  in  Westchester  County.  It  was 
all  we  could  do  to  crawl  home  to  our  beds ; 
and  not  one  of  us  but  was  sure  he  was  dying, 
and  cried  to  his  mother  to  send  for  the  doctor 
before  it  was  too  late." 

The  Colonel  laughed  heartily,  the  boys 
chiming  in  with  a  merry  peal. 


HILDEGARDE'S  NEIGHBORS.  101 

"  What  were  the  cigars  ?  "  asked  Phil. 

"  The  strongest  Havanas  that  were  made, 
—  that  was  all.  Fine  cigars,  I  have  no 
doubt ;  but  I  was  forty  years  old  before  I 
touched  tobacco  again,  and  I  have  never 
smoked  anything  less  delicate  than  a  Ma 
nilla." 

He  puffed  in  silence,  chuckling  to  himself 
now  and  then ;  the  boys  meditated  on  the 
tale  they  had  heard. 

"  Colonel  Ferrers,"  said  Gerald,  at  last. 

"  Yes,  my  boy.  You  are  thinking  that  it 
is  time  to  join  the  ladies  ?  Quite  right ;  we 
will  go  in  at  once." 

"I  wanted  to  ask,"  said  Gerald,  "if  you 
don't  mind  telling  us,  that  is  —  well  —  I  was 
only  thinking  that  perhaps  those  cigars  you 
offered  us  —  were  they  very  mild  ones, 
Colonel  Ferrers  ?  " 

The  Colonel  looked  grave  for  a  moment, 
then  he  gave  way  and  laughed  aloud. 


102  HILDEGARDE'S  NEIGHBORS. 

"Found  me  out,  hey?"  lie  said.  "Well, 
since  you  ask  me,  Master  Merryweather,  I 
believe  they  were  —  not  —  the  mildest  that 
are  made.  But  you  —  hark!  what  was 
that?" 

From  the  next  room  came  the  sound  of  a 
crash,  and  then  a  cry. 

"  I  am  very  sorry,  sir,"  said  the  boys  in  a 
breath.  "  It  is  probably  our  sister  Gertrude, 
who  has  broken  something." 

"  She  has  no  fingers  to  her  thumbs,"  added 
Gerald,  "  and  the  result  is  destruction." 

They  passed  into  the  next  room,  and  found 
that  there  had  indeed  been  an  accident.  Ger 
trude  had  knocked  down  a  great  pink  vase, 
and  broken  it  into  fifty  pieces ;  she  had  also 
fallen  over  it,  and  now  sat  among  the  ruins 
on  the  floor,  too  frightened  to  cry,  while  the 
others  picked  up  the  pieces  as  best  they 
might. 

"Colonel  Ferrers,  what  will  you  think  of 


GERTRUDE  BREAKS  THE  VASE. 


HILDEGARDE'S  NEIGHBORS.  103 

us  ?  "  cried  Mrs.  Merryweather,  looking  up  as 
her  host  entered  the  room.  "  This  unlucky 
child  of  mine  has  done  something  dreadful. 
Get  up,  Gerty,  and  let  me  get  the  pieces  from 
under  you.  I  do  so  hope  it  may  be  mended." 

"Heaven  forefend,"  said  Colonel  Ferrers, 
hastily.  "  Is  it  —  I  can  hardly  hope  it  —  is  it 
truly  the  pink  vase,  the  pink  vase  with  the 
stag's  head  on  it  ?  " 

"  Ye — yes  !"  sobbed  poor  Gertrude,  getting 
up  from  the  floor,  and  seeking  vainly  for  her 
handkerchief.  "  Oh,  I  am  so  sorry  !  " 

"  My  dear  child,"  cried  the  Colonel,  and  he 
took  Gertrude  by  both  hands,  "  my  dear 
young  benefactress,  how  can  I  ever  thank 
you !  You  have  relieved  me  of  a  heavy 
burden." 

"  Why  ?  what  ?  "  cried  all. 

The  Colonel  pointed  to  the  broken  china, 
and  gave  a  great  sigh  of  relief.  "  You  behold 
there,"  he  said,  "  now  happily  in  fragments, 


104       HILDEGARDE  S  NEIGHBORS. 

the  bane  of  my  existence.  That  —  that  hor 
ror —  was  given  me  three  years  ago  by  a 
valued  servant  and  friend,  my  man  Guiseppe. 
He  bought  it  for  my  birthday ;  spent  ten  of 
his  hard-earned  dollars  on  it,  foolish,  faithful 
creature  that  he  is.  What  could  I  do  ?  It 
was, —  the  enormity  you  perceive.  I  was 
obliged  to  give  it  a  place  of  honour, —  fortu 
nately,  I  seldom  use  this  room  when  I  am 
alone  ;  I  was  forced  to  praise  its  tint,  which  I 
abominate,  and  its  shape,  which  is  wholly 
detestable.  What  would  you  ?  I  could  not 
wound  my  good  Guiseppe ;  the  vase  has  re 
mained,  the  chief  ornament — in  his  eyes  — 
of  my  drawing-room.  Now,  thanks  to  you, 
my  charming  child,  I  am  delivered  of  this  en 
cumbrance,  and  my  poor  white  and  gold  can 
appear  without  this  hideous  blot  on  its  purity." 
Gertrude  wiped  her  eyes,  much  relieved  at 
this  novel  view  of  her  infirmity,  and  all  the 
others  laughed  heartily. 


HILDEGARDE'S  NEIGHBORS.          105 

"  And  now,"  said  the  good  Colonel,  "  is  it 
not  time  for  some  games,  Hilda,  or  something 
of  the  kind  ?  Command  me,  young  people. 
Shall  I  be  blind  man.  at  your  service  ?  " 

It  was  a  pleasant  sight  to  see  the  Colonel, 
a  silk  handkerchief  tied  over  his  eyes,  chasing 
the  young  folks  hither  and  thither ;  pulled 
this  way,  twitched  that,  but  always  beaming 
under  his  bandage,  and  shouting  with  merri 
ment.  It  was  a  pleasanter  sight,  later  in  the 
evening,  to  see  him  leading  out  Hildegarde 
for  a  quadrille,  and  taking  his  place  at  the 
head  of  the  figure  with  stately,  old-fashioned 
grace.  Mrs.  Grahame,  turning  round  a 
moment  from  her  place  at  the  piano,  saw 
his  fine  face  aglow  with  pleasure,  and  felt 
a  corresponding  warmth  at  her  own  heart. 
She  thought  of  the  gloomy,  solitary  man  he 
had  been  a  year  ago,  living  alone  with  his 
servants,  scarcely  seeing  or  speaking  to  a 
soul  outside  his  own  grounds.  And  who 


106  HILDEGARDE'S  NEIGHBORS. 

shall  blame  the  mother  for  saying  in  her 
heart,  with  a  little  thrill  of  pride,  "  It  was 
my  child  who  helped  him,  who  brought  the 
sunshine  into  this  good  man's  life.  It  was 
my  Hildegarde ! " 


HILDEGARDE'S  NEIGHBORS.          107 


CHAPTER  VI. 

ANOTHER   TEA-PARTY. 

IT  was  the  very  day  after  the  great  affair 
at  Roseholme  that  Hildegarde  had  her  own 
tea-party;  in  fact,  it  had  been  planned  for 
the  birthday  itself,  and  had  only  been  post 
poned  when  Colonel  Ferrers  made  known  his 
kind  wish.  This  was  a  piazza  party.  The 
broad,  out-door  room  was  hung  with  roses,  - 
some  of  the  very  garlands  which  had  graced 
the  dark  walls  of  Roseholme  the  night  before ; 
but  here  they  were  twined  in  and  out  of  the 
vines  which  grew  on  all  sides  of  the  piazza, 
screening  it  from  outside  view,  and  making 
it  truly  a  bower  and  a  retreat.  The  guests 
had  been  asked  to  come  at  five  o'clock,  but 


108          HILDEGARDE'S  NEIGHBORS. 

it  was  not  more  than  three  when  Hildegarde, 
coming  to  the  door  by  chance,  saw  two  or 
three  little  figures  hanging  about  the  gate, 
gazing  wistfully  in.  At  sight  of  her,  their 
heads  went  down  and  their  fingers  went  into 
their  mouths ;  they  studied  the  ground,  and 
appeared  to  know  neither  where  they  were, 
nor  why  they  had  come. 

"  Euleta !  "  exclaimed  Hildegarde  ;  "  is  that 
you,  child  ?  and  Minnie  and  Katie,  too.  Why, 
you  are  here  in  good  time,  are  n't  you  ? " 

She  ran  down  and  took  the  children  by  the 
hand,  and  led  them  up  to  the  piazza.  "  I  am 
very  glad  to  see  you,  chicks,"  she  said. 
"  Shall  we  take  off  the  hats  ?  Perhaps  we 
will  leave  them  on  for  a  little,"  she  added, 
quickly,  seeing  a  shade  of  distress  on  Euleta' s 
face ;  "  they  look  so  —  gay  and  bright,  and  we 
might  want  to  walk  about  the  garden,  you 
see." 

Euleta  beamed  again,  and  the  others  with 


HILDEGARDE'S  NEIGHBORS.  109 

her.  They  were  sisters,  and  their  careful 
mother  had  given  them  hats  just  alike,  dread 
ful  mysteries  of  magenta  roses  and  apple- 
green  ribbon.  Their  pride  was  pleasant  to 
see,  and  Hildegarde  smiled  back  at  them, 
saying  to  herself  that  the  dear  little  faces 
would  look  charming  in  anything,  however, 
hideous. 

Soon  more  children  came,  and  yet  more : 
Vesta  Philbrook  and  Martha  Skeat,  Philena 
Tabb  and  Susan  Aurora  Bulger, —  twelve 
children  in  all,  and  every  child  there  before 
the  stroke  of  four. 

"Well,"  said  Hildegarde  to  herself,  "the 
tea-table  will  not  be  quite  so  pretty  as  if  I  had 
had  time  to  make  the  wreaths ;  but  they 
would  rather  play  than  have  wreaths,  and  I 
should  not  have  left  it  till  the  last  hour,  sinner 
that  I  am."  She  proposed  "  Little  Sally 
Waters,"  and  they  all  fell  to  it  with 
ardour. 


110  HILDEGARDE'S  NEIGHBORS. 

"  Oh,  little  Sally  Waters,  sitting  in  the  sun, 
Crying,  weeping,  for  your  young  man; 
Rise,  Sally,  rise,  wipe  your  weeping  eyes,"  etc. 

Martha  Skeat  was  the  first  Sally ;  she  chose 
Susan  Aurora,  and  Susan  Aurora  chose  Hilde- 
garde.  Down  went  Hildegarde  on  the  floor, 
and  wept  and  wrung  her  hands  so  dramatically 
that  the  children  paused  in  alarm,  fearing 
that  some  real  calamity  had  occurred. 

"  Oh  !  oh  !  "  moaned  Hildegarde  ;  «  my 
young  man  !  Go  on,  children.  Why  are  you 
stopping?  Oh,  where  is  my  young  man?" 
she  sobbed ;  and  the  children,  reassured  by  a 
twinkling  smile,  shrieked  with  delight.  "What 
shall  I  do  ?  "  sobbed  the  girl.  «  I—  have  n't  — 
got  —  any  young  man  !  Now,  children,  you 
must  say  'Rise,  Sally,'  or  my  foot  will  be 
sound  asleep,  and  then  I  could  n't  get  up  at  all, 
and  what  would  become  of  your  supper  ?  " 

Aghast  at  this  suggestion,  the  children 
began  to  chant,  hastily, — 


IIILDEGARDE'S  NEIGHBORS.  Ill 

"  Rise,  Sally,  rise, 
Wipe  your  weeping  eyes ; 
Turn  to  the  east, 
Turn  to  the  west, 
Turn  to  the  one  that  you  love  the  best ! " 

Hildegarde  sprang  to  her  feet,  whirled  to 
the  east,  with  her  hands  clasped  in  entreaty ; 
turned  to  the  west,  holding  out  her  arms  with 
a  gesture  of  intense  longing ;  turned  to  the 
south,  —  and  saw  a  stranger  standing  and 
gazing  at  her  with  a  look  of  intense  amuse 
ment. 

For  once  Hildegarde  thought  that  her  wits 
were  gone ;  she  stood  still,  her  arms  dropped 
to  her  side,  and  she  returned  the  stranger's 
gaze  with  a  look  of  such  simple,  absolute  dis 
may  that  he  could  hardly  keep  his  counte 
nance.  Hastily  advancing,  he  lifted  his  hat. 
"  Miss  Grahame,"  he  said,  "  I  beg  your  pardon 
for  breaking  in  in  this  way.  My  sister  — I 
am  Koger  Merryweather,  I  ought  to  say  first 
—  Bell  wanted  to  know  at  what  time  she 


112  HILDEGARDE'S  NEIGHBORS. 

should  come  over,  and  as  none  of  the  boys 
were  at  hand,  I  ventured  to  come  over  with 
the  message." 

His  eyes,  —  they  were  kind  eyes,  as  Hilde- 
garde  noticed  in  her  distress,  —  his  eyes  seemed 
to  say,  "  I  wish  you  would  not  mind  me  in  the 
least,  my  child  !  Have  I  not  sisters  of  my  own, 
and  don't  I  know  all  about  Sally  Waters  ?" 
It  almost  seemed  as  if  the  words  were  spoken, 
and  Hildegarde  recovered  her  composure,  and 
came  forward,  with  a  burning  blush,  it  is  true, 
but  holding  out  her  hand  with  her  own  sweet 
cordiality. 

"I  am  very  glad  to  see  you,  Mr.  Merry- 
weather.  You  are  very  good  not  to  laugh 
at  poor  Sally's  distresses.  Tell  Bell  that  the 
children  are  all  here,  and  the  sooner  she  comes 
the  better.  But  —  will  you  not  come  in,  Mr. 
Merryweather  ?  My  mother  will  be  delighted 
to  see  you.  We  have  heard  so  much  of  you 
from  all  the  children." 


HILDEGARDE'S  NEIGHBORS.  113 

Roger  Merryweather  excused  himself  on 
the  ground  of  letters  that  must  be  written, 
but  promised  himself  the  pleasure  of  an  early 
call ;  and  so,  with  another  kind,  sensible 
look,  and  a  smile  and  a  friendly  word  to  the 
children,  he  withdrew,  and  Hildegarde  saw 
him  leap  lightly  over  the  fence,  —  a  tall, 
well-knit  figure,  springy  and  light  as  Gerald's 
own. 

The  girl  drew  a  long  breath  of  dismay,  but 
it  quavered,  and  finally  ended  in  a  hearty 
laugh. 

"And  how  perfectly  he  behaved  !  "  she  said 
aloud.  "  If  one  had  to  make  a  spectacle  of 
one's  self,  —  and  apparently  it  is  to  be  my 
fate  through  life,  —  surely  no  one  could 
choose  a  kinder  looking  spectator." 

Here  she  became  aware  of  the  children, 
standing  at  gaze,  and  evidently  waiting  for 
her  next  word. 

"Why,  what  am  I  thinking   about?"  she 


114  HILDEGARDE'S  NEIGHBORS. 

cried,  merrily.  "  Do  you  think  we  have  had 
enough  of  '  Sally/  children  ?  I  —  I  think  per 
haps  I  have.  And  what  shall  we  play  next  ? 
I  fear  it  is  too  hot  still  for  6 1  Spy ; '  we  must 
keep  that  till  after  tea.  What  are  you  say 
ing,  Martha  ?  Speak  out,  dear,  and  don't  be 
afraid  to  say  just  what  you  would  like  best. 
This  is  your  own  party,  you  see,  and  it  is 
to  be  the  kind  of  party  you  all  think  pleas- 
antest." 

Martha  murmured  inaudibly  several  times, 
but  spurred  by  digs  in  the  ribs  with  several 
pairs  of  sharp  elbows,  finally  spoke  aloud  with 
a  sudden  yelp.  "  Oh,  please  !  —  Susan  Aurora 
Bulger,  I  '11  go  right  and  tell  your  mother  this 
minute  !  —  please,  '  The  Highland  Gates  to 
Die.' " 

"  What  ? "  asked  Hildegarde,  in  amaze 
ment.  "  Say  it  again,  Martha,  please.  The 
Highland --what?" 

"Gates  to  Die!"  said   Martha  Skeat,  and 


HILDEGARDE'S  NEIGHBORS.  115 

all  the  children  took  up  the  chorus.  "  '  The 
Highland  Gates  to  Die/  please,  Teacher !  " 

Hildegarde  repeated  the  words  to  herself, 
but  no  light  came.  "  I  don't  understand," 
she  said.  "  You  will  have  to  show  me  how 
to  play,  for  I  never  heard  of  the  game. 
Highland  Gates — well,  I  shall  learn  it 
quickly,  I  hope.  Euleta,  will  you  take  the 
lead?" 

Euleta,  a  sheep-faced  child,  with  six  whitey- 
brown  pigtails,  motioned  to  the  others,  who 
at  once  joined  hands  in  a  circle.  Then  she 
began  to  pace  slowly  round  the  circle,  and  all 
the  children  broke  out  into  a  wild  chant : 

"Go  round  and  round  the  level, 
Go  round  and  round  the  level, 
Go  round  and  round  the  level, 
The  Highland  Gates  to  die." 

Now  the  arms  were  lifted,  and  the  leader 
wove  her  mystic  paces  in  and  out  among  the 
children,  while  the  words  changed. 


116    HILDEGARDE'S  NEIGHBORS. 

"Go  in  and  out  the  window, 
Go  in  and  out  the  window, 
Go  in  and  out  the  window, 
The  Highland  Gates  to  die." 

Euleta  took  Vesta  Philbrook  by  the  hand, 
led  her  into  the  circle,  and  knelt  solemnly 
before  her ;  and  the  others  sang,  wildly, — 

"Kneel  down  and  face  your  lover, 
Kneel  down  and  face  your  lover, 
Kneel  down  and  face  your  lover, 
The  Highland  Gates  to  die." 

"  What  are  you  playing  ?  "  cried  Bell  Mer- 
ryweather,  who  had  come  in  quietly,  and  was 
watching  the  proceedings  in  amazement. 

"  Don't  ask  me ! "  Hildegarde  replied, 
"  watch  and  listen,  and  learn  if  you  can.  Oh, 
this  is  tragedy,  indeed ! "  For  Euleta  had 
thrown  herself  backward,  not  without  a  cer 
tain  dramatic  force,  and  now  lay  prone  at 
Vesta's  feet;  and  the  children  chanted,  sol 
emnly, — 


HILDEGARDE'S  NEIGHBORS.  117 

"  She  's  dead  because  she  loved  him, 

She  's  dead  because  she  loved  him, 

She 's  dead  because  she  loved  him, 
The  Highland  Gates  to  die." 

This  ended  the  game,  and,  the  children 
smiled  joyously,  while  Euleta  plumed  her 
self  like  a  little  peacock,  taking  to  herself 
the  credit  of  all  the  interest  shown  by  the 
young  ladies. 

"  But  what  an  extraordinary  thing  !  "  cried 
Bell ;  "  Hildegarde,  have  you  an  idea  what 
it  can  mean  ?  " 

Hildegarde  shook  her  head.  "It  must  be 
something  old,"  she  said.  "  It  must  come 
from  some  old  story  or  ballad.  Oh,  if 
we  could  only  find  out !  "  They  questioned 
the  children  eagerly,  but  could  learn  nothing. 
It  was  merely,  "  The  Highland  Gates  to  Die," 
and  they  had  always  played  it,  and  everybody 
else  always  played  it, —  that  was  all  they 
knew. 


118          HILDEGARDE'S  NEIGHBORS. 

At  this  moment  a  well-known  brown  bon 
net  was  seen  bobbing  apologetically  up  the 
drive ;  the  Widow  Lankton  had  been  making 
frantic  efforts  to  catch  Hildegarde's  eye,  and 
now  succeeding,  began  a  series  of  crab-like 
bows. 

"  Oh  !  "  cried  Hildegarde,  eagerly,  "  there 
is  Mrs.  Lankton,  and  she  will  know  all 
about  it." 

"Yes,"  chimed  in  the  children,  in  every 
variety  of  shrill  treble.  "  Widder  Lankton, 
she  'II  know  all  about  it,  sure ! " 

Mrs.  Lankton  was  surrounded  in  a  moment, 
and  brought  Tip  on  the  piazza.  Here  she  sat, 
turning  her  head  from  side  to  side,  like  a  lean 
and  pensive  parrot,  and  struggling  to  get  her 
breath. 

"  It 's  ketched  me ! "  she  said,  faintly,  in 
reply  to  the  girls'  questions.  "  Miss  Gra- 
hame,  my  dear,  it 's  ketched  me  in  my  right 
side,  and  I  like  t'  ha'  died  on  your  thrishold. 


HILDEGARDE'S  NEIGHBORS.  119 

Yes,  my  dear/'  she  nodded  her  head  many 
times,  and  repeated  with  unction,  "  I  like  t' 
ha'  died  011  your  thrishold." 

"  Oh,  I  am  so  sorry,  Mrs.  Lankton ! "  said 
Hildegarde,  soothingly,  while  she  quieted  with 
a  look  Bell's  horrified  anxiety. 

"  I  think  you  will  be  able  to  go  in  and  get 
a  cup  of  tea  presently,  won't  you  ?  And  that 
will  take  away  the  pain,  I  hope." 

Mrs.  Lankton's  countenance  assumed  a 
repressed  cheerfulness.  "  You  may  be  right, 
dear  !  "  she  said.  "  I  shouldn't  go  to  contra 
dict  your  blessed  mother's  darter,  not  if  she 
told  me  to  get  a  hull  supper,  let  alone  a  cup 
o'  tea,  as  is  warming  to  the  innards,  let  him 
deny  it  who  will.  There !  I  feel  it  a  leetle 
better  now  a'ready,"  she  announced.  "Ah, 
it's  a  blessed  privilege  you  have,  Miss 
Grahame ! " 

Without  stopping  to  analyze  these  remarks 
too    closely,    Hildegarde    said    a   few    more 


120  HILDEGARDE'S  NEIGHBORS. 

soothing  words,  and  then  went    straight    to 
the  matter  in  hand. 

"  Mrs.  Lankton,  can  you  tell  us  anything 
about  a  game  the  children  have  been  playing, 
the  game  of  <  The  Highland  Gates?'  We 
are  very  much  interested  in  it,  Miss  Merry- 
weather  and  I,  —  this  is  Miss  Merryweather, 

—  and  we  want  to  know  what  it  means." 

"  To  be  sure,  my  dear  !  "  cried  the  Widow 
Lankton.  " <  The  Highland  Gates  to  Die/ 
Dear  me,  yes !  if  ever  a  person  could  tell  you 

—  and  Miss  Bellflower,  is  it  ?     Ah  !  she  looks 
rugged,  now ;  don't  she  ?  and  livin'  in  the  old 
Shannon  house,  too.     'T  is  dretful  onhealthy, 
they  say,  the   Shannon  house ;  but  havin'  a 
rugged   start,  you   see,  you  may  weather  it 
a  consid'able  time,  dearie,  and  be   a  comfort 
to   them    as   has    you   while   they   has   you. 
My  Philena,  her  cheeks  was  just  like  yours, 
like   two   pinies.      And  where    is    she  now? 
Ah !     I  've    seen    trouble,    Miss    Bellwether. 


HILDEGARDE'S  NEIGHBORS.  121 

Miss  Grahame  here  can  tell  you  of  some  of 
the  trouble  I  've  seen,  though  she  don't  know 
not  a  quarter  part  of  it." 

"  Oh  yes,  Mrs.  Lankton,"  said  Hildegarde, 
with  what  seemed  to  wondering  Bell  rather 
a  scant  measure  of  sympathy ;  "  Miss  Merry- 
weather  shall  hear  all  about  it,  surely.  But 
will  you  tell  us  now  about  the  game,  please  ? 
We  want  to  know  so  very  much  !  " 

"To  be  sure,  dearie!  to  be  sure!"  acqui 
esced  Mrs.  Lankton  with  alacrity.  "Tis  a 
fine  game,  and  anncient,  as  you  may  say. 
Why,  my  grandmother  taught  me  to  play 
4  The  Highland  Gates '  when  I  was  no  bigger 
than  you,  Vesta  Philbrook.  Ah  !  many 's  the 
time  I  played  it  Avith  my  sister  Salome,  and 
she  died  just  about  your  age." 

"Well,  Mrs.  Lankton,"  said  Hildegarde, 
encouragingly. 

"  Well  ?  oh,  bless  you  !  no,  dearie  !  She  was 
terrible  sick !  that  was  why  she  died.  Oh,  my, 


l'2'2  HILDEGARDE'S  NEIGHBORS. 

yes !  She  had  dyspepsy  right  along,  suffered 
everything  with  it,  yet  'twas  croup  that  got 
her  at  last.  Ah !  there 's  never  any  child 
knows  when  croup  '11  get  her ;  girl  nor 
boy !  " 

Hildegarde  began  to  feel  as  if  she  must 
scream,  or  'stamp  her  foot,  or  do  some  other 
impossible  thing. 

"  Mrs.  Lankton,"  she  said,  gravely,  "  I  am 
sure  Auntie  has  the  kettle  on,  and  you  will  be 
the  better  for  your  tea,  so  will  you  not  tell 
us  as  quickly  as  you  can,  please,  about  the 
game  ?  The  children  are  waiting,  you  see, 
to  go  on  with  their  play." 

"  Jest  what  I  was  going  to  say,  dear,"  cried 
Mrs.  Lankton.  "  Let  'em  play,  I  says,  while 
they  can,  I  says ;  for  its  soon  enough  they 
get  the  play  squenched  out  of  'em,  if  you  '11 
excuse  the  expression,  Miss  Henfeather." 

At  this  apostrophe,  delivered  with  mournful 
intensity,  Bell  retreated  hastily  behind  a  post 


HILDEGARDE'S  NEIGHBORS.  123 

of  the  veranda,  and  even  Susan  Aurora  Bulger 
giggled  faintly,  with  her  apron  in  her  mouth. 

Hildegarde  was  silent,  and  tried  the  effect 
of  gazing  severely  at  the  widow,  apparently 
with  some  success,  for  after  a  pause  of  head- 
shaking,  Mrs.  Lankton  continued : 

"  But  as  you  was  saying,  dearie,  about  the 
game.  Ye  —  es  !  Well,  my  grandmother,  she 
was  an  anncient  woman ;  some  said  she  was 
ninety-seven,  and  more  called  it  ninety-eight, 
but  she  didn't  rightly  know  herself,  bein'  she 
had  lost  the  family  Bible.  Burned  up  with 
the  house  it  was,  before  she  came  from  the 
Provinces,  and  some  said  it  was  because  of 
starting  a  new  fire  in  the  cook-stove  on 
Sunday;  but  I  don't  want  to  set  in  judg 
ment,  not  on  my  own  flesh  and  blood,  I  do 
not,  Miss  Grahame.  And  I  remember  as  if 
it  was  this  day  of  time,  she  settin'  in  her 
chair  in  the  porch  to  our  house,  smokin'  her 
pipe,  if  you  '11  excuse  me  ladies,  bein'  an 


124  HILDEGARDE'S  NEIGHBORS. 

anncient  woman,  and  I  ham  heard  great  ladies 
took  their  pipes  in  them  times,  but  so  it  is. 
And  she  says  to  me,  'Drusilly,'  she  says, 
6  Why  don't  you  play  with  Salome  ? '  and 
I  says,  '  'Cause  I  ain't  got  nothin'  to  play.' 
And  she  says, '  Come  here,'  she  says, '  and  I  '11 
learn  ye  a  game,'  she  says.  So  I  called  Salome, 
and  we  two  stood  there,  and  Gram'ther 
she  taught  us  '  The  Highland  Gates  to 
Die.'  Salome,  she  had  been  feedin'  the  hens, 
and  when  she  come  back  she  left  the  gate 
open,  and  they  all  got  out  and  went  and 
strayed  into  the  woods,  and  my  father  got 
so  mad  we  thought  we  should  lose  him,  for 
sure.  Purple  he  used  to  get  when  he  was 
mad,  same  as  a  late  cabbage,  and  an  awful 
sight.  Yes,  children,  be  thankful  if  you  're 
learned  to  keep  your  tempers.  So  that 's  all 
I  know,  Miss  Grahame,  my  dear,  and  you  're 
welcome  as  air  to  it ;  and  I  do  believe  I  see 
Mis'  Auntie  lookin'  out  the  kitching  winder 


HILDEGARDE'S  NEIGHBORS.          125 

this  minute,  so  if  you'll  excuse  me,  ladies, 
bein'  I  feel  a  goneness  inside,  and  if  I  should 
faint  away,  how  your  blessed  mother  would 
feel ! " 


126  HILDEGARDE'S  NEIGHBORS. 


CHAPTER   VII. 

IN    GOOD    GREEN    WOOD. 

They  were  in  the  Roseholme  woods,  all  four 
girls,  —  Hildegarde,  Bell,  Gertrude  and  little 
Kitty.  Kitty  was  only  eight  years  old,  but 
she  liked  good  times  as  well  as  if  she  were 
sixteen,  and  when  the  sisters  said  "Come 
along,  Kitty,"  she  had  dropped  her  doll  and 
flown  like  a  bird  to  join  them.  Willy  shouted 
after  her,  having  designs  on  her  in  regard  to 
tin  soldiers ;  but  for  once  Kitty  was  deaf  to 
her  Willy's  voice.  Now  she  was  as  happy 
as  a  child  could  be,  sitting  in  a  nest  of 
warm  pine  needles,  playing  at  "partridge 
mother." 

The  other  girls  sat  near  her,  making  oak 


HILDEGARDE'S  NEIGHBORS.          127 

wreaths  and  talking  busily.  Bell  was  telling 
of  some  college  experiences. 

"  So  we  found  we  had  not  nearly  green 
enough  to  trim  the  hall,  and  I  volunteered  to 
get  some  more,  while  the  rest  of  the  com 
mittee  made  the  garlands.  I  had  not  far  to 
go,  only  to  the  grove,  about  a  mile  beyond  the 
campus  ;  but  it  was  growing  dark,  so  I  hurried 
as  much  as  I  could.  I  ran  across  Professor 
Thunder's  yard,  as  that  cut  off  nearly  half  the 
distance,  and  there  my  fate  found  me.  Oh, 
dear !  Hildegarde,  you  will  never  guess  what  I 
did." 

"  Nothing,  I  am  sure,"  said  Hildegarde, 
gravely,  "  that  was  not  consistent  with  dignity 
and  decorum.  The  college  maiden  is  an  awful 
person,  I  have  always  understood." 

"  You  shall  judge  !  "  said  Bell.  "  Remember 
that  I  was  alone,  with  none  to  help  me  carry 
the  boughs ;  that  I  was  late,  it  being  then  six 
o'clock,  and  the  dance  beginning  at  eight.  I 


128          HILDEGARDE'S  NEIGHBORS. 

had  to  get  the  greens,  help  put  them  up,  get 
my  supper,  dress,  and  be  there  at  eight  to 
receive  the  juniors.  And  there  —  there,  in 
the  clear  afternoon  light  on  the  lawn,  stood 
the  professor's  wheelbarrow,  saying  as  plainly 
as  a  wheelbarrow  can,  <  You  'd  better  take  me 
along  to  bring  the  things  home  in.'  Could  I 
resist  that  mute  appeal  ?  I  could  not.  I  saw, 
I  took,  I  trundled !  The  thing  went  of  its 
own  accord,  I  believe ;  certainly  I  never  before 
made  such  good  time  to  the  grove.  Once 
there,  it  was  a  matter  of  only  a  few  minutes 
to  strip  the  boughs  and  fill  the  friendly  bar 
row.  But,  oh !  I  filled  it  not  wisely,  but  too 
well.  It  was  all  so  green  and  pleasant,  and 
the  smell  of  the  trees  was  so  delightful,  that  I 
did  not  know  when  to  stop.  Soon  the  barrow 
was  heaped  high  with  all  manner  of  pleasant 
ness,  and  I  started  to  return.  Well,  my  dear, 
then  the  trouble  began.  In  the  first  place, 
full  barrows  are  different  from  empty  ones. 


HILDEGARDE'S  NEIGHBORS.  129 

It  was  very  heavy,  and  the  boughs  kept  slip 
ping  this  way,  and  sliding  that  way,  and 
tumbling  down  every  third  second.  I  got 
cross  —  oh,  so  cross !  and  presently  I  passed 
the  janitor's  son,  lounging  along  homeward, 
and  he  grinned,  being  an  oaf,  and  said, 
'  Better  let  me  help  ye,  had  n't  ye  ? '  Oh,  no  ! 
he  did  n't  mean  to  be  rude,  he  really  meant  to 
help ;  but  my  blood  was  up,  and  my  hair  was 
down,  and  I  was  very  short  with  him,  I  fear, 
and  trundled  off  alone  with  my  dignity.  Then 
a  branch  fell  out  and  got  tangled  in  the 
wheel,  and  while  I  was  getting  it  out  a  twig 
snapped  into  my  eyes ;  and  there  was  a 
stone  in  my  shoe,  and  altogether,  —  well,  it 
was  only  a  mile  to  the  grove,  but  it  was 
twenty  miles  back,  I  can  tell  you.  Before  I 
reached  the  campus  my  arms  were  so  sore, 
and  my  foot  so  lame,  and  my  eye  so  painful, 
that  my  pride  ran  out  at  the  heels  of  my 
boots,  like  the  gunpowder.  I  was  going 


130  HILDEGARDE'S  NEIGHBORS. 

pretty  slowly,  so  as  to  keep  the  boughs  from 
tumbling  out  more  than  was  absolutely  neces 
sary,  —  and  I  heard  the  boy  lumbering  up  be 
hind  me  again.  So,  without  turning  round, 
I  said, <  You  shall  help  me  now,  if  you  please  ! ' 
and  —  and  —  oh,  Hildegarde  !  a  deep  voice 
answered,  '  I  shall  be  charmed  to  do  so  ! '  and 
I  looked  up  and  saw  Professor  Thunder  !  " 

"  Oh,  Bell !  oh,  poor  thing !  "  cried  Hilde 
garde.  "  What  did  you  do  ?  " 

"Do?"  replied  Bell.  "I  didn't  do  any 
thing.  He  took  the  handles  from  me, —  his 
own  handles,  mind  you,  of  his  own  barrow, — 
and  trundled  it  solemnly  along.  I  was  strug 
gling  with  hysterics.  I  am  not  in  the  least 
hysterical  by  nature,  but  the  combination  — 
the  professor  taken  for  a  lout  and  com 
manded  to  trundle  his  own  barrow,  stolen  by 
a  sophomore,  the  twig  in  my  eye  and  the 
stone  in  my  foot  —  was  too  much  for  me. 
Besides,  there  seemed  nothing  in  particular  to 


HILDEGAEDE'S  NEIGHBORS.  131 

say.  I  could  not  begin  '  Please,  sir,  I  thought 
you  were  the  janitor's  boy ! '  nor  did  '  Please 
Professor  Thunder,  this  is  your  wheelbarrow, 
which  I  have  stolen,'  seem  exactly  a  happy 
.opening  for  a  conversation.  So  we  went  on 
in  silence,  and  when  the  branches  tumbled  off, 
I  picked  them  up  without  a  word.  How 
could  I  be  such  a  dumb  idiot  ?  Don't  ask 
me !  If  it  had  been  any  other  professor  I 
might  have  found  courage  to  speak ;  but 
Jupiter  Tonans  was  my  terror  and  my  hero ; 
I  sat  at  his  feet,  and  the  roll  of  his  deep  voice 
was  music  to  my  sophomoric  ears.  I  had 
never  spoken  to  him  out  of  class,  but  only 
that  morning  he  had  praised  my  translation, 
he  who  seldom  praised  anything, —  and  now 
to  come  to  this  ! 

"  At  last,  after  about  three  hours  of  dread 
ful  silence,  he  opened  his  lips  and  spoke : 
'  The  greens  are  for  decorational  purposes,  I 
presume,  Miss  Merryweather  ? '  Oh,  and  I 


132  HILDEGARDE'S  NEIGHBORS. 

had  hoped  he  would  not  remember  who  I 
was. 

"  <  Yes,  sir,'  I  said.  '  For  the  sophomore 
reception  this  evening.' 

" '  Ah ! '  he  said,  '  in  that  case,  it  will  be 
well  for  us  to  hasten.' 

"  Silence  again,  while  we  quickened  our 
pace,  making  the  branches  fall  off  more  than 
ever.  Then  — '  The  wheelbarrow,'  said  the 
professor,  '  amazes  us  by  its  combined  sim 
plicity  and  perfection.  The  conception  of  a 
man  of  universal  genius  and  vast  erudition,  — 
I  allude  to  Leonardo  da  Vinci,  the  marvellous 
Florentine, —  it  has  for  upwards  of  three  hun 
dred  years  served  mankind  as  a  humble  but 
valued  ally.  In  every  rank  of  life  it  finds  its 
place.  This  barrow,  for  example  — ' 

"  My  heart  came  into  my  mou*th.  '  Pro 
fessor  Thunder,'  I  said,  'this  is  your  wheel 
barrow.  I  came  across  your  lawn,  and  saw  it 
standing  there,  and  —  I  took  it.' 


HILDEGARDE'S  NEIGHBORS.  133 

"  c  Yes,  my  child,'  he  said,  c  I  saw  you  take 
it.'  " 

"  Oh,  oh  !  "  moaned  the  two  girls.     "  Poor 
Bell !  oh,  poor  Bell !  " 

"  Then  I  broke  down  and  cried,  and  told 
him  all  about  it,  and  how  I  had  taken  him  for 
the  janitor's  boy,  and  all.  Girls,  he  was  per 
fectly  angelic  !  He  made  me  sit  down  on  the 
bank  to  rest,  and  talked  to  me,  oh,  so  kindly ! 
and  was  glad  I  had  taken  the  barrow,  and 
all.  And  —  it  is  too  dreadful  to  tell,  but  — 
I  had  dropped  my  handkerchief,  and  he  gave 
me  his,  about  three  square  yards  of  finest 
cambric, —  I  shall  never  smell  orris  again 
without  thinking  of  that  moment, —  and  said 
—  you  won't  think  me  vain  to  repeat  this, 
Hildegarde  ?  —  said  that  he  could  not  have 
his  best  pupil  spoil  her  eyes,  as  it  would  inter 
fere  with  her  Greek.  And  then  we  came  to 
the  campus,  and  the  girls  standing  in  the 
door  of  the  Gym  saw  Professor  Thunder 


134  HILDEGARDE'S  NEIGHBORS. 

wheeling  the  wheelbarrow  full  of  greens,  and 
me  walking  meekly  by  his  side.  I  shall  never 
forget  their  faces;  one  moment,  and  then 
they  turned  and  fled.  It  was  base,  but  1 
could  not  blame  them ;  the  sight  was  not  one 
to  induce  composure,  as  the  Professor  himself 
would  say.  So  I  thanked  him  as  well  as  I 
could  for  the  dumbness  and  heat  that  were  on 
me ;  and  he  took  off  his  hat  and  made  a 
grand  bow,  and  then  he  shook  hands  —  oh, 
so  cordially !  and  begged  to  present  me  with 
the  freedom  of  the  wheelbarrow ;  and  then 
he  went  away.  There,  Hildegarde !  You 
wanted  a  college  story,  and  you  have  had 


one." 


The  girls  laughed  heartily  at  Bell's  adven 
tures,  and  Hildegarde  declared  that  she  should 
never  fear  a  college  girl  again,  as  it  was  evi 
dent  that  they  were  girls  of  like  passions, 
getting  into  scrapes  like  their  sisters. 

While  talking,  the   girls  had  been  busily 


HILDEGARDE'S  NEIGHBORS.  135 

plaiting  garlands  of  oak  leaves,  and  now  they 
proceeded  to  crown  each  other,  and  hang  long 
wreaths  on  neck  and  arm. 

"  Hildegarde  shall  be  the  fairy  queen,"  said 
Gertrude  "  and  we  her  attendant  fays.  Hail, 
Queen ! " 

"  Oh  yes,  that  is  all  very  well  for  you !  " 
said  Bell ;  "  you  don't  weigh  one  hundred  and 
thirty  pounds.  A  fine  sylph  I  should  make  ! 
Hilda  is  perfect  for  the  queen,  however." 

Certainly  Hilda  did  look  very  lovely,  with 
the  green  chaplet  crowning  her  fair  locks, 
and  the  afternoon  sunlight  sifting  through 
the  leaves,  checkering  her  white  dress  with 
light  and  shade.  Roger  Merryweather,  com 
ing  through  the  wood  in  his  quiet  way,  with 
his  tin  plant-box  slung  over  his  shoulder, 
thought  he  had  never  seen  a  fairer  sight, 
and  paused  to  enjoy  it  before  announcing  his 
presence  to  the  girls.  As  he  stood  there, 
motionless,  and  screened  by  the  broad  leaves 


136  HILDEGARDE'S  NEIGHBORS. 

of  a  great  chestnut-tree,  a  frightful  scream 
was  heard,  a  ferocious  yell,  which  made  the 
whole  wood  vibrate  with  horrid  sound.  The 
girls  sprang  to  their  feet  in  terror;  little 
Kitty  ran  to  Bell  and  hid  in  her  gown,  while 
the  older  girls  with  one  accord  turned  at  bay, 
ready  to  face  they  knew  not  what  peril. 
Even  Roger  was  startled  for  the  moment, 
and  was  about  to  step  hastily  forward,  when 
a  second  shriek  rang  out.  He  recognized  the 
voice,  and  stood  still,  unwilling  to  spoil  sport. 
And  now  from  the  thicket  burst  two  wild 
forms,  blanketed  and  feathered,  uttering 
hideous  yells,  and  brandishing  glittering 
weapons  over  their  heads.  Kitty  shrieked, 
but  after  one  moment  Bell  burst  into 
laughter. 

"  You  imps  !  "  she  cried.  "  You  wicked, 
wicked  little  wretches,  to  frighten  us  so! 
Kitty  darling,  it  is  the  boys.  Look  up,  dar 
ling  !  Don't  you  see  ?  It  is  our  naughty, 


HILDEGARDE'S  NEIGHBORS.  137 

naughty  boys,  playing  Indian.  After  them, 
Toots  !  after  them,  Hilda  !  We  '11  give  them 
a  lesson  they  shall  not  forget." 

"  Huh  !  huh  !  "  shouted  the  Indians.  "  Big 
Chief  Hop-toad !  big  Medicine-man  Put- 
Squills-In-His-Tea !  gobble  up  the  white 
squaws  for  supper !  Huh  !  huh  !  " 

And  now  the  quiet  spectator  saw  a  merry 
sight.  The  girls  flew  in  pursuit,  the  boys  fled 
before  them.  In  and  out  of  the  trees,  laugh 
ing,  shrieking,  they  doubled  and  twisted. 
Hildegarde  ran  well,  and  Bell  had  not  had 
two  years  of  basket-ball  for  nothing.  As  for 
Gertrude,  she  was  lithe  and  long-limbed  as  a 
young  greyhound ;  but  even  so,  they  could 
not  catch  their  tormentors. 

The  long  gray  legs  twinkled  like  light 
ning  over  the  ground.  Phil  paused  from 
time  to  time  to  shout  his  warhoop,  and 
Gerald,  when  he  could  find  breath,  chanted 
wild  scraps  of  song,  accompanied  by  frantic 
gestures : 


138  HILDEGARDE'S  NEIGHBORS. 

"  My  torn,  my  torn,  my  tommy-hawk, 
With  thee  I'll  make  the  pale-face  squawk: 
With  thee  I'll  make  them  cry  'Oh,  lawk!' 
My  torn,  my  torn,  my  tommy-hawk." 

Circling  round  a  great  tree,  he  came  full 
upon  Hilda,  flying  in  the  other  direction,  and 
made  a  snatch  at  her  green  wreath. 

"Pale-face  squaw  shall  lose  her  hat, 
Medicine-man  will  see  to  that," 

he  cried. 

"  Will  he,  indeed  ? "  cried  Hildegarde. 
"  Catch  me  if  you  can,  you  odious  redskin ! 
I  defy  you  in  every  withering  term  that  a 
Cooper  maiden  ever  invented  !  " 

"  Ho  !  if  you  are  a  Cooper  maiden,  you  are 
nothing  but  a  female  !  "  said  Gerald.  "  Aha  ! 
she  turns,  she  flies !  she  feels  the  scalp  a- 
wr-r-r-r-r-iggling  on  her  head  !  she  fears  she  '11 
soon  be  a  female  dead  !  Ho,  ho  !  Medicine 
man  !  Big  Injin  !  Ho  !  " 

Flying   breathless  now,  Hildegarde  darted 


IT  WAS  NOT  GERALD.' 


HILDEGARDE'S  NEIGHBORS.  139 

hither  and  thither,  hiding  under  the  leaves, 
dodging  behind  the  tree  trunks.  Finally, 
seeing  her  foe  pausing  for  an  instant  behind 
the  bole  of  a  huge  nut-tree,  she  rushed  upon 
him,  and  seizing  him,  shook  him  violently. 
Then  she  let  go  her  hold  and  screamed,  for  it 
was  not  Gerald  that  she  was  shaking. 

Roger  Merryweather  stepped  forward,  un 
able  to  keep  from  smiling  at  her  face  of  hor 
ror.  He  felt  a  little  "  out  of  it,"  perhaps, 
and  twenty -four  seemed  a  long  way  from 
seventeen;  but  he  should  not  have  watched 
the  girls,  he  told  himself  with  some  severity, 
without  letting  them  know  lie  was  there. 
Now  this  pretty  child  regarded  him  as  a 
double  eavesdropper  and  spy.  But  his  apol 
ogy  was  drowned  in  the  shouts  of  the 
boys. 

"Hi!  here's  Roger!  hurrah!  Roger,  Roger ! 
my  scientific  codger,  come  and  play  Big  Injin  ! 
The  pale-faces  are  uncommonly  game,  but  we 


140  HILDEGARDE'S  NEIGHBORS. 

shall  have  them  all  the  same.  Hi !  there  goes 
Dropsy  !  " 

Indeed,  at  this  moment  Gertrude  tripped 
over  a  tree  root  and  fell  headlong ;  as  she  fell 
she  caught  at  Phil's  ankle,  just  as  he  was  in 
the  act  of  grasping  Bell  by  the  flying  tail  of 
her  gown  ;  another  moment,  and  all  three 
were  on  the  ground  together  in  a  confused 
heap. 

"  Anybody  hurt  ? "  asked  Roger,  going  to 
pick  them  up. 

"  Oh  no ! "  said  Bell,  sitting  up  and  shak 
ing  the  pine  needles  from  her  hair.  "  Toots 
was  underneath,  and  she  makes  a  noble 
cushion.  All  right,  Toots  ?  and  how  do  you 
come  here,  Professor  ? "  The  three  fallen 
ones  righted  themselves,  and  sat  up  and 
panted ;  seeing  which,  the  others  came  and 
sat  down,  too,  and  for  a  space  no  one  spoke, 
for  no  one  had  any  breath  save  Koger,  and 
he  was  laughing. 


HILDEGARDE'S  NEIGHBORS.  141 

"  I  have  been  botanizing,"  lie  said  at  last. 
"  I  was  coming  quietly  along,  when  suddenly 
Bedlam  broke  loose,  and  I  have  been  standing 
by  to  go  about  ever  since.  No  extra  lunatics 
seemed  to  be  needed,  or  I  should  have  been 
charmed  to  assist." 

By  this  time  Hildegarde  had  recovered  her 
composure.  It  was  her  fate,  she  reflected,  to 
run  into  people,  and  be  found  in  trees,  and  be 
caught  playing  "Sally  Waters;"  she  could 
not  help  her  fate.  But  her  hair  was  all  down 
her  back,  and  she  could  help  that.  She  be 
gan  to  knot  it  up  quietly,  but  Gerald  raised 
a  cry  of  protest. 

"What,  oh  what  is  she  doing  that  for? 
Don't,  Miss  Hildegarde,  please!  I  was  just 
thinking  how  jolly  it  looked,  let  alone  the 
chances  for  scalping." 

"  Thank  you ! "  said  Hildegarde,  as  she 
wound  up  the  long  locks  and  fastened  them 
securely.  "I  have  no  fancy  for  playing 


142  HILDEGARDE'S  NEIGHBORS. 

Absalom  all  the  way  home.  Have  you  hurt 
your  foot,  Phil  ?  "  for  Phil  was  rubbing  his 
ankle  vigorously,  and  looking  rather  uncom 
fortable. 

"I  stumbled  over  Dropsy's  nose,"  he  said, 
ruefully.  "  When  she  fell  down,  her  nose 
reached  all  the  way  round  the  tree,  and 
tripped  me  up.  I  wish  you  would  keep  your 
nose  in  curl-papers,  Dropsy." 

Dropsy  beat  him  affectionately,  and  helped 
rub  his  ankle.  They  were  silent  for  a  mo 
ment,  being  too  comfortable  to  speak,  each 
one  thought  to  himself.  The  sunbeams  flick 
ered  through  the  leaves ;  the  pine  needles, 
tossed  into  heaps  by  the  hurrying  feet,  gave 
out  their  delicious  fragrance ;  overhead  the 
wind  murmured  low  in  the  branches.  It  was  a 
perfect  time,  and  even  Gerald  felt  the  charm 
and  was  silent,  throwing  acorns  at  his  sisters. 

"  Sing,  Roger,"  said  Bell,  at  length,  softly. 
«  Sing  <  Robin  Hood ! '  " 


HILDEGARDE'S  NEIGHBORS.  143 

So  Roger  sang,  in  a  noble  baritone  voice, 
that  joyous  song  of  the  forest,  and  the  woods 
rang  to  the  chorus  : 

"So,  though  bold  Robin's  gone, 
Yet  his  heart  lives  on, 
And  we  drink  to  him  with  three  times  three." 


144    HILDEGARDE'S  NEIGHBORS. 


CHAPTER  VIII. 

"HANDS  ACROSS  THE  SEA." 

"  OH,  how  jolly  you  all  look ! "  cried 
Hildegarde,  peeping  through  the  hedge. 
a  Where  are  you  going  ?  " 

The  Merry  weathers  were  going  to  ride ;  so 
much  was  evident.  Five  bicycles  stood  at 
the  door,  glittering  in  the  sunlight ;  five 
riders  were  in  the  act  of  mounting,  plainly 
bound  on  a  pleasure-trip. 

"  Only  for  the  mail,  and  a  little  spin  after 
it,"  cried  Mr.  Merryweather.  "  Wish  you 
could  come  too,  Miss  Grahame.  You  will 
certainly  have  to  get  a  wheel  and  join  us. 
Nothing  like  it,  I  assure  you." 

Bell  and  Gertrude,  in  trim  short  skirts  and 


HILDEGARDE'S  NEIGHBORS.  145 

gaiters,  sat  already  perched,  ready  for  the 
start ;  and  Phil  and  Gerald  were  putting  a 
last  touch  to  their  shining  metal-work. 

Mrs.  Merry  weather  came  out  on  the  steps, 
with  Kitty  by  her  side. 

44  Here  are  my  letters,  dear  people,'*  she 
said.  "And  don't  forget  the  boots,  please; 
they  are  very  important." 

"  May  one  inquire  what  boots  ? "  asked  Mr. 
Merryweather. 

"  I  really  have  no  idea  ! "  replied  his  wife, 
"  Somebody  said  at  breakfast  that  you  must 
be  sure  to  remember  the  boots,  and  dwelt 
on  their  importance ;  therefore  I  mention 
them." 

"  Ou  avez-vous  procure  ce  chapeau  ? "  in 
quired  Gerald,  politely. 

"  My  dear  Gerald,  you  know  that  I  will 
not  endure  slang  that  is  less  than  fifty  years 
old." 

"  It  isn't  slang,  Mother  !     At  least  it  may 


146          HILDEGARDE'S  NEIGHBORS. 

be ;  but  I  want  to  know,  because,  really,  you 
know,  ma'am,  when  it  comes  to  baskets  - 

Mrs.  Merry  weather  put  up  her  hand,  and 
removed  her  head-gear.  "Dear  me!"  she 
said,  "it  is  a  basket,  sure  enough.  That  is 
very  curious !  Why  —  why  then,  I  must 
have  picked  the  raspberries  into  my  hat." 

A  shout  of  laughter,  in  which  Mrs.  Merry- 
weather  joined  placidly,  greeted  this  an 
nouncement.  "  I  put  plenty  of  green  leaves 
in  it,"  she  said ;  "  it  will  be  all  right.  But  I 
sent  it  to  the  minister's  wife,  and  I  fear  she 
will  be  surprised.  My  dear  Gertrude,  have 
you  learned  your  Latin  lesson,  that  I  see  you 
starting  off  so  freely  ?  " 

"Yes,  mother,"  said  Gertrude,  sadly.  "I 
learned  it,  and  it  was  a  detestable  lesson.  I 
am  so  tired  of  hearing  that  Titus  Labienus 
was  stationed  on  a  hill ! " 

"  I  know  !  "  chimed  in  Phil.  "  I  remember 
when  I  was  in  Caesar,  about  forty  years  ago, 


HILDEGARDE'S  NEIGHBORS.  147 

and  Titus  Labby  was  on  the  hill  then.  It's 
my  belief  he  got  stuck  there,  and  was  afraid 
to  come  down." 

"  That  is  curious ! "  said  Mrs.  Merry- 
weather,  meditatively.  "  Always  on  a  hill ; 
why,  so  he  is !  That  is  rather  interesting, 
don't  you  think  so  ?  " 

"With  all  respect,  I  do  not!"  said  Mr. 
Merryweather.  "  I  desire  to  depart.  If 
Caesar  had  had  a  wheel,  he  would  not  have 
been  so  tedious." 

"  Oh,  jolly  !  "  cried  Gerald.  "  Caesar  com 
manded  to  let  scoot  the  legions  through  the 
morasses  and  bogges  the  bogs.  Then  came 
Vercingetorix  on  a  '91  Columbia,  weighing 
seventy-three  pounds,  and  said,  <  How  in  time 
am  I  to  get  up  this  hill  ? '  Then  spake  to 
him  Caesar,  and  said  these  words,  —  Get  out, 
you  Ferguson !  " 

For  Ferguson,  swiftly  departing,  had 
launched  a  kick  at  his  brother  in  passing, 


148  HILDEGARDE'S  NEIGHBORS. 

nearly  sending  him  from  his  seat.  Gerald 
whirled  off  in  pursuit;  the  others  followed 
more  soberly,  and  the  whole  party  disap 
peared  round  the  curve  of  the  road. 

Hildegarde  looked  after  them  rather  dole 
fully.  A  year  ago  a  girl  on  a  bicycle  was  a 
shocking  thing  to  our  heroine ;  she  shook  her 
little  head  severely,  and  said  that  nothing 
would  induce  her  to  mount  one.  Somehow 
her  views  had  changed  since  she  had  seen 
the  Merryweathers  on  theirs.  She  began  to 
think  that  it  would  be  uncommonly  pleasant 
to  go  skimming  along  like  a  swallow,  swoop 
ing  down  the  hills  and  whirling  along  the 
levels.  "  The  nearest  approach  to  flying 
that  this  generation  will  see,"  [Mr.  Merry- 
weather  called  it,  and  Hilda  inclined  to  think 
he  was  right.  However  — 

"  Remember  that  you  are  both  coming  over 
this  morning,"  called  Mrs.  Merry  weather, 
cheerfully.  "I  mean  this  evening,  of  course. 


HILDEGARDE'S  NEIGHBORS.  149 

to  tea.  We  will  have  some  music.  Kitty, 
my  dear,  we  must  go  to  our  French." 

"  Shall  we  bring  our  sewing  out  on  the 
verandah,  mammy?"  asked  Hilda,  rousing 
herself  from  a  little  reverie.  "  Ah,  you  have 
the  letters,  sly  one,  and  never  told  me  !  " 

"  I  doubted  if  there  was  anything  that 
would  interest  you,  my  love,"  said  Mrs.  Gra- 
haine.  "Yes;  let  us  have  our  work,  by  all 
means.  There  are  one  or  two  business  letters 
that  I  should  like  you  to  look  over." 

Hilda  smiled  and  departed,  revolving  the 
thought  that  she  was  a  selfish  and  empty- 
headed  wretch.  She  did  not  want  to  read 
business  letters ;  she  wanted  to  be  on  a  wheel, 
flying  over  the  smooth  road,  with  the  wind 
lifting  her  hair  and  breathing  cool  against 
her  cheek.  And  here  was  her  mother  sit 
ting  alone,  and  the  new  tablecloths  to  hem, 
and  —  and  altogether  —  "  If  you  could  tell 
me  why  they  thought  it  worth  while  to  keep 


150  HILDEGARDE'S  NEIGHBORS. 

you,"  she  said  to  herself,  "  I  should  be  glad  to 
know  it.  Perhaps  you  can  tell  me  what 
P-I-G  spells." 

Returning  with  the  wide  sewing  basket, 
she  found  her  mother  looking  over  a  pile  of 
letters.  "It  is  high  time,"  said  Mrs.  Gra- 
hame,  "  that  you  began  to  take  some  interest 
in  business  matters."  Hildegarde  wondered 
what  was  coming ;  her  mother  looked  very 
grave ;  she  held  in  her  hand  a  square  grey 
envelope.  "  I  shall  be  greatly  obliged,  there 
fore,  my  dear,"  her  mother  continued,  with 
the  same  portentous  gravity,  "if  —  you 
would  —  read  that"  ;  and  she  gave  the  letter 
to  Hildegarde. 

"  Oh,  mamma !  you  wicked,  wicked  de 
ceiver  !  You  frightened  me  almost  to  death  ; 
and  it  is  from  Jack,  dear  old  Jack.  Oh,  how 
delightful !  You  pleasant  person,  Mrs.  Gra- 
hame  ;  I  forgive  you,  though  my  heart  still 
throbs  with  terror.  Are  you  all  comfortable, 


HILDEGARDE'S  NEIGHBORS.  151 

my  own  ?  Your  little  feet  all  tucked  up 
beneath  your  petticoat;  so  that  they  cannot 
steal  in  and  out  ?  Don't  you  want  a  glass  of 
milk,  or  a  cracker,  or  a  saddle  of  mutton,  or 
anything  else  ?  Then  be  silent !  and  oh,  how 
happy  we  shall  be  !  "  Hildegarde  settled  her 
self  in  her  chair,  sighed  with  pleasure,  and 
broke  the  seal  of  the  fat  letter. 

"  DEAR  HILDA  :  It  seems  an  age  since  I  last  wrote,  but 
there  is  so  much  going  on  I  have  hardly  time  to  breathe. 
There  have  been  some  awfully  jolly  concerts  this  spring, 
and  I  have  been  going  to  them,  and  practising  four  hours  a 
day,  and  having  lessons  and  all  that.  Herr  J.  played  at  the 
last  two  concerts,  and  I  know  what  heaven  is  like  —  my 
heaven,  at  least  —  since  I  heard  him.  He  played  —  " 

Here  followed  an  accurate  list  of  the  great 
violinist's  performances,  covering  three  sheets 
of  note-paper. 

"  It  isn't  the  technique  and  all  that,  though  of  course  he 
is  the  first  in  the  world  for  that  and  everything  else ;  it's 
the  sense,  the  heart  that  he  puts  into  it.  In  that  adagio  — 
well,  I  played  it  to  you  once,  like  the  cheeky  little  duffer  I 
was,  and  felt  pleased  as  Punch  with  myself,  and  no  end 


152  HILDEGAKDE'S  NEIGHBORS. 

cocked  up  because  you  liked  it.  Hilda,  I  ought  to  have 
been  taken  out  and  shot  for  daring  to  touch  it !  When  the 
maestro  (they  call  him  maestro  here,  so  you  mustn't  think 
me  Frenchified),  when  he  played  it,  the  world  seemed  just 
to  melt  away,  and  nothing  left  but  a  voice,  that  sang,  and 
sang,  and  told  you  more  than  you  ever  dreamed  of  in  all 
your  life  before.  I  wish  I  could  describe  things,  but  you 
know  I  can't,  so  you  won't  expect  it.  But  one  thing  I  will 
tell  you,  if  you'll  promise  not  to  tell  any  living  soul  —  " 

"  Stop,  my  dear ! "  said  Mrs.  Grahame, 
quickly.  "  We  must  not  touch  upon  the  boy's 
confidences.  Read  that  part  to  yourself." 

"  Thank  you,  ma'am ! "  said  Hilda.  "This 
mark  of  trust  is  most  gratifying,  I  assure 
you.  '  Not  tell  any  living  soul  except  your 
mother,  dear.'  Now  how  do  you  feel, 
madam  ?  " 

"Dear  Jack!"  said  Mrs.  Grahame,  softly. 
"  Dear  lad !  of  course  I  shall  like  to  hear  it. 
Go  on,  Hilda,  and  I  promise  not  to  interrupt 
again." 

"  The  day  after  the  last  concert — it  was  only  day  before 
yesterday,  but  it  seems  an  age  —  I  went  to  take  my  lesson, 


HILDEGARDE'S  NEIGHBORS.  153 

and  my  master  was  not  there.  He  is  often  late,  so  I  just 
took  out  some  music  and  began  to  play  over  the  things  I 
had  studied.  There  was  a  sonata  of  Rubinstein's,  very 
splendid,  that  has  quite  possessed  me  lately.  I  played  that, 
and  I  suppose  I  forgot  where  I  was  and  all  about  it,  for 
I  went  on  and  on,  never  hearing  a  sound  except  just  the 
music.  You  must  hear  it  when  I  come  back,  Hilda,  it 
begins  in  the  minor,  and  then  there  is  the  most  superb 
sweep  up  into  the  major ;  your  heart  seems  to  sweep  up 
with  it,  and  you  find  yourself  in  another  world,  where  every 
thing  is  divine  harmony.  I'm  talking  nonsense,  I  know, 
but  that  piece  just  sends  me  off  my  head  altogether.  Well, 
at  last  I  finished  it  and  came  down  from  the  clouds,  and 
when  I  turned  around,  Hilda,  there  was  the  maestro  him 
self,  standing  and  listening.  Well!  you  can't  go  through 
the  floor  and  all  that  sort  of  thing,  as  they  do  in  the 
fairy-books,  but  I  did  wish  I  was  a  mouse,  or  a  flea,  or 
anything  smaller  that  there  is.  He  stood  still  a  minute. 
Perhaps  he  was  afraid  I  would  behave  like  some  asses 
the  other  day  —  they  weren't  Americans,  I  am  happy  to 
say  —  who  met  him,  and  went  down  on  their  knees  in 
the  hotel  entry,  and  took  bits  of  mud  from  his  shoes  for 
a  keepsake;  they  truly  did,  the  horrid  pigs!  And  he  just 
said  '  Dummkb'pf er ! '  and  went  off  and  left  them  kneeling 
there.  Wasn't  that  jolly?  Well,  I  say,  he  might  have 
thought  I  would  act  like  that,  and  yet  I  don't  believe  he 
did,  for  he  had  the  kindest,  friendliest  look  on  his  face. 
He  came  forward  and  held  out  his  hand,  and  said,  '  So  you 
play  the  great  sonata,  my  son  ;  and  love  it,  too,  1  perceive.' 


154  HILDEGARDE'S  NEIGHBORS. 

"  I  don't  know  exactly  what  I  said,  —  some  rubbish  about 
how  much  I  cared  for  it;  but  I  stammered  mostly,  and 
got  all  kinds  of  colours.  I  guess  you  can  tell  pretty  much 
how  I  behaved,  though  I  really  am  getting  to  be  not  quite 
so  much  of  a  muff.  Anyhow,  he  seemed  to  understand, 
and  nodded,  and  said,  '  Give  me  now  the  violin,  for  there 
are  things  you  understand  not  yet  in  the  piece.' 

"  Oh,  Hilda !  he  took  my  violin  in  his  own  hands,  and 
played  for  me.  Think  of  it!  the  greatest  master  in  the 
world,  all  alone  with  me  there,  and  playing  like  —  like  — 
well,  I  don't  know  how  to  say  what  I  mean,  so  you'll  have 
to  imagine  it  for  yourself.  He  went  all  through  it,  stopping 
once  in  a  while  to  explain  to  me,  and  to  describe  this  or 
that  shade  of  expression  or  turn  of  the  wrist.  It  was  the 
most  splendid  lesson  any  one  ever  had,  I  believe.  But  that 
is  not  the  best,  and  I  hardly  like  to  tell  even  you  the  rest. 
You  may  think  I  am  just  bluffing,  and  anyhow,  —  but  it 
is  the  truth,  so  —  well,  after  about  half  an  hour  my  master 
came  in,  and  of  course  he  was  delighted,  and  highly 
honoured,  and  bowing  and  scraping  and  all.  But  the 
maestro  came  and  put  his  hand  on  my  shoulder,  and 
said,  '  Friend,  will  you  give  me  up  this  pupil,  hein  ? ' 

"  I  don't  mind  if  you  don't  believe  it ;  I  didn't  myself, 
but  thought  I  was  asleep  and  dreaming  it  all.  'I  will 
give  you  in  exchange  two  others,'  he  said.  'The  fat 
English  lady  has  shortness  of  breath,  and  cannot  keep 
my  hours  of  work,  and  the  young  Russian  makes  eyes 
at  me,  which  is  not  to  be  endured.  Will  you  take  them, 
both  very  rich,  and  give  me  in  exchange  this  child?' 


HILDEGARDE'S  NEIGHBORS.     155 

"Of  course  there  is  only  one  answer,  you  know;  it 
is  like  when  a  king  asks  for  anything.  And  besides,  Herr 
Geiger  is  so  good  and  kind,  he  was  really  perfectly  delighted 
at  my  having  the  great  chance,  —  the  chance  of  a  lifetime. 
So  I  am  going  this  afternoon  to  take  my  first  regular 
lesson  from  the  great  master  of  the  world,  and  I  don't 
deserve  it,  Hilda,  and  I  wonder  why  everything  is  done 
so  for  me,  and  such  happiness  given  to  a  fellow  like 
me,  when  there  are  hundreds  of  other  fellows  who  deserve 
it  a  great  deal  more.  I  know  what  you  and  your  mother 
would  say,  and  I  do  feel  it,  and  I  am  thankful,  I  truly 
think,  with  all  my  heart,  and  I  hope  I  shall  be  a  better 
fellow  in  every  way,  and  try  to  make  some  return.  1 
couldn't  go  without  telling  you.  Of  course  1  wrote  a  line 
to  the  governor  first.  He  will  be  so  happy !  And  of  course 
if  it  hadn't  been  for  him,  I  never  should  have  had  any 
music,  or  any  violin,  or  anything;  and  without  you  and 
your  mother,  Hilda,  I  never  should  have  come  here,  that 
is  certain.  So  I  don't  see  very  clear,  sometimes,  when  I 
think  about  you  and  him. 

"  Time  for  the  lesson  now.  Good-bye !  I  am  the  happiest 
fellow  in  the  world !  Best  love  to  your  mother,  and  uncle 
—  no  !  shall  write  to  him  by  this  mail. 

"  Always  your  affectionate 

"JACK. 

"  P.S.  Lesson  glorious !  he  is  really  the  greatest  man 
in  the  world,  I  don't  care  who  the  next  is.  I  didn't  thank 
you  for  your  last  letter.  Of  course  I  felt  for  a  minute 
as  if  my  gas-balloon  had  bust,  when  you  told  me  that 


156  HILDEGARDE'S  NEIGHBORS. 

the  lovely  Rose  was  going  to  marry  Dr.  Flower;  but  I 
guess  it  is  all  right.  You  see,  she  must  be  very  sweet 
and  all  that ;  but  after  all,  I  never  saw  her,  and  you  say 
she  has  no  ear  for  music,  and  I  am  afraid  that  would 
have  been  a  pretty  bad  thing,  don't  you  think  so  yourself  ? 
So  I  guess  it  is  all  right,  and  1  am  as  jolly  as  a  coot. 
Awfully  jolly  about  the  new  neighbours  turning  out  such 
bricks.  Do  any  of  them  play  or  sing?  JACK. 

"P.P.S.  I  fought  my  first  duel  yesterday,  with  a  chap 
who  slanged  the  U.  S.  I  got  a  cut  on  my  left  arm,  but 
then,  I  cut  a  little  slice  off  his  ear,  so  I  was  all  right.  J." 

"  Dear  me  !  "  exclaimed  Mrs.  Grahame ;  "  a 
duel !  The  naughty,  naughty  boy  !  Those 
student  duels  are  not  apt  to  be  serious  affairs 
nowadays,  I  believe,  but  still  it  seems  a 
dreadful  thing.  What  will  the  Colonel  say 
when  he  hears  it  ?  " 

"  He  will  very  likely  be  pleased  as  Punch, 
as  Jack  says,"  rejoined  Hildegarde.  "  To 
have  his  milksop  fight  a  duel  would  probably 
seem  to  him  a  very  encouraging  thing.  And 
of  course,  mammina,  it  isn't  like  a  real,  dread 
ful  duel,  is  it?  I  mean,  it  is  more  a  kind  of 


HILDEGARDE'S  NEIGHBORS.  157 

horrid  bear-play  ?  But  oh,  to  think  of  our 
Jack  cutting  off  a  piece  of  a  man's  ear !  It 
almost  spoils  the  beautiful  other  part  of  it. 
No,  nothing  can  spoil  that.  Dear,  delightful, 
stupid,  glorious  old  Jack !  I  always  knew 
he  had  genius.  When  shall  we  see  the 
Colonel  ? " 

"  Possibly  to-night,  at  the  Merry  weathers','' 
said  her  mother.  "  These  pleasant  little  tea- 
parties  seem  to  take  in  all  our  little  circle. 
See  !  there  come  the  riders  back  again,  Gerald 
and  Phil  racing,  as  usual.  Hear  them  shout ! 
Certainly,  never  a  family  was  better  named." 

Hildegarde  came  up  behind  her  mother, 
and  put  her  arms  lightly  round  her  neck. 

"I  prefer  my  pea!"  she  said.  And  the 
two  women  laughed  and  kissed  each  other 
and  went  on  with  their  work. 


158  HILDEGARDE'S  NEIGHBORS. 


CHAPTER  IX. 

MERRY    WEATHER   INDOORS. 

IT  rained  that  evening,  so  the  plans  for 
tennis  were  brought  to  naught ;  but  the  even 
ing  was  cheerful  enough,  in  spite  of  the  pour 
ing  rain  outside.  The  wide,  book-strewn 
parlour  of  Pumpkin  House  was  bright  with 
many  lamps,  and  twinkling  with  laughing 
faces  of  boys  and  girls.  Mr.  Merry  weather, 
cheerfully  resigned  to  "  company,"  possessed 
his  soul  and  his  pipe  (being  duly  assured  that 
Mrs.  Grahame  liked  the  smell  of  tobacco),  and 
the  Colonel  puffed  his  cigar  beside  him.  A 
little  fire  crackled  on  the  hearth,  "just  for 
society,"  Mrs.  Merryweather  said,  and  most 
of  the  windows  were  wide  open,  making  the 


HILDEGARDE'S  NEIGHBORS.  159 

air  fresh  and  sweet  with  the  fragrance  of  wet 
vines  and  flowers.  The  two  ladies  were  deep 
in  household  matters,  each  finding  it  very 
pleasant  to  have  a  companion  of  her  own  age, 
though  each  reflecting  that  the  children  were 
much  better  company  in  the  long  run.  The 
children  themselves  were  playing  games,  with 
gusts  of  laughter  and  little  shrieks  and  shouts 
of  glee.  They  had  had  "Horned  Lady,"  and 
Willy's  head  was  a  forest  of  paper  horns, 
skilfully  twisted.  Hugh  had  just  gone 
triumphantly  through  the  whole  list,  "  a 
sneezing  elephant,  a  punch  in  the  head,  a 
rag,  a  tatter,  a  good  report,  a  bad  report,  a 
cracked  saucepan,  a  fuzzy  tree-toad,  a  rat 
catcher,  a  well-greaved  Greek,  etc.,  etc.,  etc. 

"  There  are  no  thoughts  in  this  game,  be 
loved,"  said  the  child  when  he  had  finished, 
turning  to  Hildegarde.  "  My  head  turns 
round,  but  it  is  empty  inside." 

"  Good  for  Hugh  !  "  cried  Phil.     "  Just  the 


160  HILDEGARDE'S  NEIGHBORS. 

same  with  me,  Hugh.  It  makes  me  feel  all 
fuzzy  inside  my  head,  like  the  tree-toad." 

"  You  are  like  a  tree-toad !  "  said  Gerald. 
"  That  is  the  resemblance  that  has  haunted 
me,  and  I  could  not  make  it  out,  because  as  a 
rule  tree-toads  are  not  fuzzy.  I  thank  thee, 
Jew  —  I  mean  Hugh  —  for  teaching  me  that 
word.  My  brother,  the  tree-toad  !  Every  one 
will  know  whom  I  mean." 

"  Just  as  they  know  you  as  the  '  one  as  is  a 
little  wantinV  "  retorted  Phil.  "  Just  think, 
Miss  Hilda,  Jerry  and  I  spent  a  week  to 
gether  at  a  house  at  Pemaquid,  and  Jerry  left 
his  sponge  behind  him  when  he  came  away. 
Well,  and  when  the  captain  of  the  tug 
brought  it  over  to  the  island  where  the  rest 
of  us  were,  he  said  one  of  the  boys  had  left 
it,  the  one  as  was  a  little  wan  tin'.  And  he 
said  it  was  a  pity  about  him,  and  asked  if  there 
warn't  nothin'  they  could  do  for  his  wits." 

"  That  was  because  he  heard  me  reciting 


HILDEGARDE'S  NEIGHBORS.  161 

my  Greek  cram  to  the  cow,"  said  Gerald. 
"  Most  responsive  animal  I  ever  saw,  that 
cow,  and  mooed  in  purest  Attic  every  time  I 
twisted  her  tail.  And  how  about  the  pitch- 
kettle,  my  gentle  shepherd  ?  Was  I  ever 
seen,  I  ask  the  assembled  family,  —  was  I 
ever  seen  with  a  pitch-kettle  on  my  head 
instead  of  a  hat  ?  " 

"Oh,  Hilda!  "  exclaimed  Bell;  "you  ought 
to  have  seen  Phil.  He  had  been  pitching  the 
canoe,  —  this  was  ever  so  long  ago,  of  course, 
—  and  he  thought  it  would  be  great  fun  to 
put  the  pitch-kettle  on  his  head.  He  thought 
it  was  quite  dry,  you  see.  So  he  did,  and 
went  round  with  it  for  a  little,  so  pleased  and 
amused ;  and  then  he  saw  some  ladies  com 
ing,  and  tried  to  take  it  off,  and  it  wouldn't 
come.  Oh  dear!  how  we  did  laugh!  " 

"Yes,  Miss  Hilda,  I  should  think  they 
did !  "  cried  Phil,  indignantly.  "  Sat  there 
and  chuckled  like  great  apes,  instead  of  help- 


162          HILDEGARDE'S  NEIGHBORS. 

ing  a  fellow.  And  I  had  to  crawl  under 
barrels  for  about  half  a  mile,  so  that  those 
people  wouldn't  see  me." 

"  Poor  Phil !  "  cried  compassionate  Hilde- 
garde.  "  And  did  you  get  it  off:  at  last  ?  " 

"First  we  tried  butter,"  he  said,  "but  that 
wouldn't  stir  it.  Then  they  gave  me  a  bath 
of  sweet  oil,  and  put  flour  in  my  hair,  and  hot 
water,  and  turtle  soup,  and  I  don't  know 
what  not ;  and  the  more  things  they  did,  the 
faster  the  old  thing  stuck.  So  at  last  we  had 
to  call  the  Mater,  and  she  took  the  scissors 
and  cut  it  on0." 

"  Oh,  meus  oculus!"  cried  Gerald.  "Do 
you  remember  how  that  kettle  looked,  with 
a  fringe  of  hair  all  around  it  ?  Half  his  hya 
cinth  bed  on  one  fell  kettle!  He  ought  to 
have  sung  a  (  Lock-aber  no  more  !  ' 

"  And  we  ought  to  have  sung  '  Philly,  put 
the  kettle  on ! '  '  cried  Gertrude. 

"  Toots,  don't  exhaust   your   brain!"  said 


HILDEGARDE'S  NEIGHBORS.  163 

Gerald,  gravely.  "  You  may  need  it  some 
time ;  there  is  no  knowing.  No  knowing, 
but  much  nosing !  "  he  added.  "  Could  you 
move  the  principal  part  of  your  person,  my 
child  ?  It  casts  such  a  deep  shadow  that  I 
cannot  see  myself  think." 

"  Will  some  one  please  tell  me  what  is  the 
matter  with  Gertrude's  nose  ?  "  asked  Hilde- 
garde,  innocently.  '*  You  are  always  talking 
about  it ;  it  seems  to  me  a  very  good  nose 
indeed." 

"  Dear  Hilda!"  exclaimed  Gertrude;  "what 
a  nice  girl  you  are  !  " 

"  That  is  just  the  point,  Miss  Hilda,"  said 
Gerald.  "  It  is  an  excellent  nose.  Take  it 
as  a  nose,  it  has  no  equal  in  the  country, 
we  have  been  assured.  If  there  is  one  thing 
this  family  is  proud  of,  it  is  Gertrude's  nose. 
We  may  not  be  clever,  or  rich,  or  beautiful,  but 
we  can  always  fall  back  on  the  nose ;  there's 
plenty  of  room  on  it  for  the  whole  family." 


164  HILDEGARDE'S  NEIGHBORS. 

"  Why,"  put  in  Phil,  "  the  Pater  has  been 
offered  a  dollar  a  pound  for  that  nose,  and 
he  wouldn't  look  at  it." 

"  He  couldn't  see  it,"  said  Bell ;  "  the  nose 
was  in  the  way." 

"Why,  one  day  we  had  been  in  bathing," 
said  Phil,  "and  when  we  came  back,  Toots 
hung  her  nose  out  of  the  window  to  dry, 
and  went  to  sleep  and  forgot  it ;  and  will 
you  believe  it  ?  a  fellow  came  along  and 
climbed  right  up  it,  just  like  '  Rapunzel, 
Rapimzel,  let  down  your  hair,'  you  know. 
Ah!  Oh,  I  say!" 

At  this  outrage,  Gertrude  rose,  and  fell 
upon  her  brother  tooth  and  nail.  She  was 
a  powerful  child,  and  at  the  shock  of  her 
onset,  the  seat  of  Phil's  chair  gave  way, 
and  he  "  sat  through  "  like  little  Silver-hair, 
and  came  suddenly  to  the  floor,  his  head  and 
legs  sticking  up  helplessly  through  the  empty 
frame.  The  young  people  were  so  overcome 


HILDEGAKDE'S  NEIGHBORS.  165 

with  laughter  that  no  one  could  help  him; 
but  Roger,  who  had  been  hidden  in  a  con 
venient  corner  with  an  absorbing  monograph 
on  trilobites  that  had  just  arrived  by  mail, 
came  forward  and  pulled  his  brother  out. 

"  Dear  me ! "  exclaimed  Mrs.  Merry  weather, 
looking  up.  "  Philip,  my  dear,  it  is  strange 
that  none  of  you  can  remember  not  to  sit  in 
that  chair." 

"  What  is  the  matter  with  the  chair  ? " 
inquired  Mr.  Merry  weather. 

"  The  seat  has  been  loose  for  a  long  time," 
said  his  wife.  "  It  always  comes  down  when 
any  one  sits  in  it." 

"  And  could  it  not  be  mended  ? " 

"  Why,  yes,"  said  Mrs.  Merry  weather,  evi 
dently  receiving  a  new  idea.  "  I  suppose 
it  might  be  mended,  Miles.  Do  you  know,  I 
never  thought  of  that !  Certainly ;  it  shall 
be  mended.  Bell,  remind  me  to-morrow  to 
get  some  glue.  That  is  one  of  the  set  of 


166  HILDEGARDE'S  NEIGHBORS. 

chairs  that  came  from  my  father's  house, 
you  remember,  Miles,  and  the  seats  were 
always  loose.  One  night  my  mother  had  a 
party,  and  your  Uncle  Frederick  went  round 
before  the  people  came,  and  set  the  seats 
forward  in  the  frames,  so  that  whoever  sat 
down  would  go  through  at  once.  The  gov 
ernor  of  the  State  was  the  first  to  take  his 
seat,  and  he  went  directly  through  to  the 
floor,  just  as  Phil  did  now.  My  father  was 
excessively  angry,  and  Frederick  and  I  spent 
the  next  day  in  bed,  but  we  thought  it  was 
worth  the  punishment." 

"These  are  improving  reminiscences,  my 
dear  Miranda!  "  said  Mr.  Merry  weather. 

"  Oh !  but  what  do  you  think  mamma  did 
this  morning  ?  "  cried  Gertrude.  "  May  I  tell 
them,  mamma  ?  Do  you  mind  ?  " 

"  Tell  them,  by  all  means,  my  dear,"  said 
Mrs.  Merry  weather,  cheerfully.  "  Did  I  do 
anything  more  foolish  than  usual  ?  Oh,  yes, 


HILDEGARDE'S  NEIGHBORS.  167 

I  remember !  I  was  measuring  the  whale- 
oil  soap.  Tell  them,  Gerty,  if  you  think  it 
would  amuse  them.  I  am  not  very  useful/' 
she  added,  turning  to  Mrs.  Grahame,  "  but  I 
do  seem  to  give  a  good  deal  of  amusement, 
and  that  is  a  good  thing." 

"  Well,"  said  Gertrude,  "  you  see,  we 
had  to  squirt  the  roses,  and  mamma  said 
she  would  make  the  whale-oil  mixture  for 
us,  because  it  is  such  horrid  stuff,  and 
we  had  some  errands  to  do  first.  So  I 
came  back  after  the  errands,  and  she  was 
measuring  it  out.  Dear  mamma !  am  I  a 
wretch  ? " 

"  Not  at  all,  my  child,"  said  her  mother. 
"  I  richly  deserve  to  be  exposed ;  besides, 
one  can  always  serve  to  point  a  moral.  You 
see,  Mrs.  Grahame,  the  receipt  said,  '  half  a 
pint  of  soap  to  a  gallon  of  water !  Now  I 
had  ten  gallons  of  water,  so  I  —  tell  what 
I  was  doing,  cruel  child." 


168  HILDEGARDE'S  NEIGHBORS. 

"  She  had  the  pint  measure/'  said  Gerty, 
"and  she  was  filling  it  half  full  and  then 
pouring  it  into  the  water.  She  was  going 
to  do  that  ten  times,  you  see ;  and  I  said, 
'Why  don't  you  fill  it  full,  five  times?' 
Darling  mamma,  I  am  a  wretch !  " 

"  Yes,  you  are,"  cried  Bell.  "  Poor  mamma ! 
dear  mamma ! " 

The  children  all  clustered  round  their 
mother,  caressing  her,  and  murmuring  affec 
tionate  words.  Mrs.  Merry  weather  smiled  in 
a  happy,  helpless  way. 

"I  am  a  sad  goose,  good  neighbours,"  she 
said ;  "  but  they  always  bring  me  out  right, 
somehow.  There  now,  darlings,  sit  down, 
and  be  good.  And,  by  the  way,  Gertrude,  I 
am  minded  to  heap  a  coal  of  fire  on  your 
head.  Didn't  you  tell  me  this  morning  that 
Titus  Labienus  was  always  on  a  hill,  or 
something  like  that  ?  " 

"Yes,"    said    Gertrude.     "  So    he    is,   and 


HILDEGARDE'S  NEIGHBORS.  169 

ever  will  remain  so.  Have  you  taken  him 
down,  dear  mamma  ?  " 

"Not  exactly!"  said  her  mother.  "But 
I  have  made  a  ballad  about  him,  and  I 
thought  it  might  possibly  amuse  you  all." 

An  eager  shout  arose,  and  all  the  young 
people  gathered  in  a  circle  round  the  good 
lady's  chair,  while  she  read :  — 


"THE  BALLAD  OF  TITUS  LABIENUS.' 

Now  Titus  Labienus 

Was  stationed  on  a  hill; 
He  sacrificed  to  Janus, 

Then  stood  up  stark  and  still. 
He  stood  and  gazed  before  him, 

The  best  part  of  a  week; 
Then,  as  if  anguish  tore  him, 

Did  Labienus  speak: 

"Oh,  hearken,  mighty  Caesar! 

Oh,  Caius  Julius  C., 
It  really  seems  to  me,  sir, 

Things  aren't  as  they  should  be. 


170    HILDEGARDE'S  NEIGHBORS. 

I've  looked  into  the  future, 
I've  gazed  beyond  the  years, 

And  as  I'm  not  a  butcher, 
My  heart  is  wrung  to  tears. 


"All  Gaul  it  is  divided 

In  parts  one,  two  and  three, 
And  bravely  you  and  I  did, 

In  Britain  o'er  the  sea. 
In  savage  wilds  the  Teuton 

Has  felt  your  hand  of  steel, 
Proud  Rome  you've  set  your  boot  on, 

And  ground  it  'neath  your  heel. 

"  But  looking  down  the  ages, 

There  springs  into  my^ken 
A  land  not  in  your  pages, 

A  land  of  coming  men. 
I  would  that  it  were  handier 

'Tis  far  across  the  sea: 
'Tis  Yankeedoodledandia, 

The  land  that  is  to  be. 


"  A  land  of  stately  cities, 

A  land  of  peace  and  truth: 
But  oh !  the  thousand  pities  ! 
A  land  of  weeping  youth. 


HILDEGARDE'S  NEIGHBORS.  171 

A  land  of  school  and  college, 

Where  youths  and  maidens  go 
A-seeking  after  knowledge, 

But  seeking  it  in  woe. 


"I  hear  the  young  men  groaning! 

I  see  the  maidens  fair, 
With  sighs  and  bitter  moaning, 

Tearing  their  long,  fair  hair. 
And  through  the  smoke  of  Janus 

Their  cry  comes  sad  and  shrill, 
"  « Oh,  Titus  Labienus, 

Come  down  from  off  that  hill  I 


« '  "  For  centuries  you've  stood  there, 

And  gazed  upon  the  Swiss ; 
Yet  never  have  withstood  there 

An  enemy  like  this. 
The  misery  of  seeking, 

The  agony  of  doubt 
Of  who  on  earth  is  speaking, 

And  what  'tis  all  about." 


" '  Now  he  had  planned  an  action, 
And  brought  his  forces  round; 
But  —  well,  there  rose  a  faction, 
And  ran  the  thing  aground. 


172  HILDEGARDE'S  NEIGHBORS. 

And  —  their  offence  was  heinous, 
Yet  Csesar  had  his  will; 

And  Titus  Labienus 

Was  stationed  on  a  hill. 


!<Then  the  Helvetii  rallied, 

To  save  themselves  from  wrack, 
And  from  the  towns  they  sallied, 

And  drove  the  Romans  back. 
The  land  was  quite  mountamous, 

Yet  they  were  put  to  flight; 
And  Titus  Labienus 

Was  stationed  on  a  height. 


"'Then  himself  advised  them 

Upon  the  rear  to  fall ; 
But  Duninorix  surprised  them, 

And  sounded  a  recall. 
Quoth  lie,  "  The  gods  sustain  us ! 
These  ills  we'll  still  surmount! 
And  Titus  Labienus 

Was  stationed  on  a  mount.' 


"Thus  comes  the  cry  to  hand  here 

Across  the  western  sea, 

From  Yankeedoodledandia, 

The  land  that  is  to  be. 


HILDEGARDE'S  NEIGHBORS.     173 

My  heart  is  wrung  with  sorrow; 

Hot  springs  the  pitying  tear. 
Pray,  Julius  C.,  to-morrow 

Let  me  get  down  from  here  I 


"Oh,  send  me  to  the  valley  1 

Oh,  send  me  to  the  town! 
Bid  me  rebuff  the  sally, 

Or  cut  the  stragglers  down; 
Send  me  once  more  to  battle 

With  Vercingetorix ; 
I'll  drive  his  Gallic  cattle, 

And  stop  his  Gallic  tricks. 

"Oh!  sooner  shall  my  legion 

Around  my  standard  fall; 
In  grim  Helvetic  region, 

Or  in  galumphing  Gaul; 
Sooner  the  foe  enchain  us, 

Sooner  our  life-blood  spill, 
Than  Titus  Labienus 

Stand  longer  on  the  hilll" 


174  HILDEGARDE'S  NEIGHBORS, 


CHAPTER  X. 

A   NEW   LIFE. 

"  BELL,"  said  Hildegarde,  « I  really  think  I 
must  be  a  cat  in  disguise." 

"  What  do  you  mean,  dear  ? "  inquired 
Bell,  looking  up  from  her  dishpan. 

"Why,  I  have  had  so  many  lives.  This 
is  the  fifth,  at  the  least  computation.  It  is 
very  extraordinary." 

Quiet  Bell  waited,  seeing  that  more  was 
coming.  The  two  girls  were  sitting  on  the 
end  of  a  wharf,  in  the  sparkling  clearness 
of  a  September  morning.  Before  them 
stretched  a  great  lake,  a  sheet  of  silver, 
dotted  as  far  as  the  eye  could  see  with  green 
islands.  Behind  lay  a  pebbly  beach,  and 


HILDEGARDE'S  NEIGHBORS.  175 

farther  up,  nestled  among  a  fringe  of  forest 
trees,  stood  a  bark  hut,  with  broad  verandahs 
and  overhanging  eaves.  Hildegarde  looked 
up  and  around,  her  face  shining  with 
pleasure. 

"They  have  all  been  so  happy  —  the  lives," 
she  said.  "  But  this  surely  is  the  most  beau 
tiful  to  look  at.  You  see,"  here  she  turned 
again  to  her  companion,  "  first  I  was  a  little 
girl,  and  then  a  big  one,  at  home  in  New 
York ;  and  a  very  singularly  odious  specimen 
of  both  I  was." 

"  Am  I  expected  to  believe  this  ? "  asked 
Bell,  quietly. 

"  Oh  yes !  because  I  know,  you  see,  and  I 
remember  just  how  detestable  I  was.  Chil 
dren  are  so  sometimes,  you  know,  even  with 
the  very  best  parents,  and  I  certainly  had 
those.  Well,  at  last  I  grew  so  unbearable 
that  I  had  to  be  sent  away.  Oh,  you  need 
not  raise  your  eyebrows,  my  dear  !  It's  very 


176  HILDEGARDE'S  NEIGHBORS. 

nice  of  you,  but  you  never  saw  me  then.  I 
don't  mean  that  I  was  sent  to  the  Reform 
School ;  but  my  father  and  mother  had  to 
go  to  California,  and  I  was  not  strong,  so 
the  journey  was  not  thought  best  for  me ; 
and  besides,  dear  mamma  saw  that  if  I  was 
ever  going  to  amount  to  anything  I  must  be 
taken  away  from  the  fashionable  school  and 
the  set  of  girls  I  was  getting  intimate  with. 
I  wasn't  intimate  with  mamma  then ;  I  didn't 
want  to  be.  The  other  girls  were  not,  and  I 
thought  it  would  be  silly ;  think  of  it,  Bell ! 
Well,  I  was  sent,  a  forlorn  and  furious  child 
(fifteen  years  old  though,  the  same  age  as 
dear,  sweet  Gertrude),  to  my  mother's  old 
nurse  in  the  country, —  a  farmer's  wife,  liv 
ing  on  a  small  farm,  twenty  miles  from  a  city. 
There,  my  dear,  I  first  learned  that  there  was 
a  world  outside  the  city  of  New  York.  I  must 
tell  you  all  about  it  some  day,  —  the  happy, 
blessed  time  I  had  with  those  dear  people, 


HILDEGARDE'S  NEIGHBORS.  177 

and  how  I  learned  to  know  my  own  dearest 
ones  while  I  was  away  from  them.  I  buried 
that  first  Hildegarde,  very  dead,  oh,  very 
dead  indeed  !  Then  the  next  summer  I  went 
to  a  new  world,  and  my  Rose  went  with  me. 
1  have  told  you  about  her,  and  how  sweet  she 
is,  and  how  ill  she  was,  and  now  how  she  is 
going  to  marry  the  good  doctor  who  cured 
her  of  her  lameness.  We  spent  the  summer 
with  Cousin  Wealthy  Bond,  a  cousin  of  my 
mother's,  —  the  loveliest  old  lady,  living 
down  in  Maine.  That  was  a  very  new 
world,  Bell ;  and  oh  !  I  have  a  child  there,  a 
little  boy,  my  Benny.  At  least,  he  is  Cousin 
Weal  thy' s  Benny  now,  for  she  is  bringing 
him  up  as  her  own,  and  loves  him  really  as  if 
he  were ;  but  I  always  think  of  him  as  partly 
mine,  because  Rose  and  I  found  him  in  the 
hospital  where  we  used  to  go  to  carry  flowers. 
He  had  been  very  ill,  and  we  got  Cousin 
Wealthy  to  let  him  come  to  her  house  to  get 


178          HILDEGARDE'S  NEIGHBORS. 

well.  And  through  that,  somehow,  there 
came  to  be  a  little  convalescent  home  for  the 
children  from  the  hospital,  —  oh,  I  must  tell 
you  that  story  too,  some  day,  and  it  is  called 
Joyous  Gard.  Yes,  of  course  I  named  it,  and 
I  was  there  for  a  month  this  spring,  before 
you  came,  and  had  the  most  enchanting  time. 
I  took  Hugh  with  me,  and  the  only  trouble 
was  that  Benny  was  madly  jealous  of  him, 
and  gave  him  no  peace.  Poor  Benny !  he  is 
a  dear,  nice  little  boy,  but  not  like  Hugh,  of 
course,  and  that  exasperated  him  past  belief. 
It  was  just  like  Lord  Lardy  and  the  waiter  in 
the  Bab  Ballad,  for  Hugh  was  entirely  uncon 
scious,  and  would  smile  peacefully  at  Benny's 
demonstrations  of  wrath,  thinking  it  all  a  joke. 
"  Oh,  I  could  talk  all  day  about  Benny  and 
Cousin  Wealthy,  and  nice,  funny  Mrs.  Brett, 
and  all  of  them.  Well,  then,  two  years  ago 
came  our  trouble,  you  know.  Dear  papa 
died,  and  we  came  out  here,  feeling  very 


HILDEGARDE'S  NEIGHBORS.  179 

strange  and  lost.  It  was  sad  at  first,  of 
course  ;  but  oh,  we  have  had  such  peace  and 
happiness  together,  my  mother  dear  and  I ! 
The  last  year,  when  we  had  grown  used  to 
doing  without  the  dear  one,  and  knew  — but 
mamma  always  knew  it  —  that  we  must  make 
happiness  for  each  other,  —  the  last  year  has 
been  a  most  lovely  time.  But  sweet  and 
happy  as  it  has  all  been,  Bell,  still  I  have  al 
ways  had  a  small  circle  to  love  and  to  be  with 
Mamma,  bless  her,  and  at  one  time  one  set 
of  dear  friends,  and  at  another  time  an 
other  ;  never  many  people  at  once,  and  life 
peaceful  and  lovely,  but  one  day  pretty  much 
like  another,  you  see.  But  since  you  all 
came,  I  have  been  in  a  new  world  altogether, 
—  a  great,  merry,  laughing  world,  with  such 
lots  of  children  and  fun  — 

"And  noise!"   put  in  Bell.     "We  are  a 
dreadfully  noisy  set,  I  fear." 

"  Oh,   noise   is    good/'    cried    Hildegarde, 


180  HILDEGARDE'S  NEIGHBORS. 

"  such  happy,  healthy  noise  as  this.  I  love 
it,  though  it  did  startle  me  at  first.  It 
seemed  pleasant  enough  to  have  you  all 
next  door ;  but  then  came  this  last  develop 
ment, —  Cousin  Wealthy's  illness,  and  her 
sending  for  mamma,  and  your  mother's  kind 
ness  in  bringing  me  out  to  this  delightful 
place.  It  is  all  like  a  fairy  tale.  I  used  to 
hear  of  people's  camping  out,  but  I  always 
thought  I  should  hate  it.  Hate  this!" 

She  looked  up  at  the  brilliant  sky  above 
her,  and  around  at  the  shining  lake,  the  dark 
trees  drooping  to  the  water's  edge,  the  green 
islands  sleeping  in  the  sunshine.  "  Oh, 
pleasant  place  !  "  she  sighed. 

They  were  silent  for  a  few  moments  ;  Bell 
was  scouring  dishpans  till  they  shone  like 
silver,  while  Hildegarde  thoughtfully  wrung 
out  the  dishcloths  that  she  had  been  washing 
as  she  talked. 

"  I   suppose/'    said   Bell,    slowly,    "  life   is 


HILDEGARDE'S  NEIGHBORS.  181 

always  good,  when  we  want  to  make  it  so. 
There  are  so  many  different  kinds  of  life,  —  I 
have  known  so  many  in  the  short  time  I  have 
been  alive,  and  it  didn't  seem  to  make  much 
difference  about  the  outside  of  them.  Some  of 
the  poorest  and  most  suffering  lives  have  been 
the  happiest  and  blessedest,  and  again  some 
that  have  money  and  health  and  everything 
that  so  many  people  sigh  for,  are  miserable, 
for  one  reason  or  another.  I  can't  bear  to 
hear  girls  say,  4  Oh,  if  I  only  had  money  !  1 
would  do  so  much,  and  be  so  good,  and  all 
that  sort  of  thing.'  I  always  want  to  say, 
6  Why  don't  you  begin  with  what  you  have  ?  ' 
I  did  say  it  once  to  a  girl,  and  she  has  hardly 
spoken  to  me  since.  She  had  been  wishing 
that  she  had  a  hundred  dollars  to  give  to  the 
Mission  Society,  and  when  I  asked  her  for  ten 
cents  (I  was  the  collector)  she  said  she  had 
only  one  dime,  and  she  must  get  some  soda 
water,  or  she  should  die." 


182  HILDEGARDE'S  NEIGHBORS. 

"  The  creature  !  what  did  you  say  to  her  ?  " 

"  I  said,  '  Possibly  the  world  would  con 
tinue  to  revolve  if  you  did !  '  and  stalked 
away.  Oh,  I  cannot  stand  that  sort  of  thing, 
you  know !  And  if  you  are  a  girl,  you  can't 
knock  people  down  when  they  are  cads." 

Bell  spoke  regretfully,  and  Hildegarde  could 
not  help  laughing  at  her  friend's  angry  eyes 
and  kindling  cheek.  The  strong  white  bare 
arms,  the  deep  chest  and  square  shoulders, 
looked  as  if  Bell  would  be  no  mean  an 
tagonist. 

"  I  should  not  like  to  have  you  knock  me 
down,  my  dear  !  "  said  Hilda. 

"  You  never  would  need  it,"  said  Bell. 
"  But  I  can  tell  you,  Hilda,  there  are  times 
when  I  feel  as  if  a  blow  from  the  shoulder 
would  be  the  best  argument  in  the  world.  I 
love  fighting!  and  I  think  I  am  rather  a 
bonny  fighter,  as  Alan  Breck  says.  Roger 
taught  me  to  box." 


HILDEGARDE'S  NEIGHBORS.  183 

Hildegarde  opened  her  eyes  a  little  at  this, 
boxing  never  having  come  within  her  horizon 
of  feminine  accomplishments. 

"  Does  Professor  Merryweather  know  how 
to  do  everything  ?  "  she  asked.  "  He  seems 
to  be  the  Admirable  C  rich  ton  come  to  life 
again." 

"  Nearly  everything,"  said  Bell,  with  judi 
cious  candour.  "  He  cannot  write  verses, 
and  he  does  not  like  dancing ;  those  are  the 
only  things  I  can  think  of  just  now."' 

A  birch  canoe  glided  silently  round  the 
point ;  Roger  was  kneeling  in  the  stern,  pad 
dling,  Indian  fashion,  while  Will  and  Kitty 
were  curled  up  like  two  kittens  in  the  bow. 
Hildegarde  thought  to  herself  that  he  was  the 
handsomest  man  she  had  ever  seen,  so  strong, 
so  gentle,  so  perfectly  graceful ;  but  she  did 
not  say  so. 

"  What  luck  ?  "  cried  Bell,  as  the  Cheemaun 
came  alongside  the  wharf.  Roger  held  up  a 


184  HILDEGARDE'S  NEIGHBORS. 

string  of  gleaming  fish,  two  of  them  long, 
deep-bodied  fellows,  striped  with  pink  and 
silver.  Willy  was  happy  with  three  hideous 
horned  pouts,  which  he  declared  were  the  best 
fish  that  swam. 

"  Oh,  pickerel !  how  delightful !  "  cried  Bell, 
as  she  took  the  beauties  from  her  brother's 
hands.  "  We  will  bake  them  for  supper, 
Hilda  ;  it  is  our  turn,  isn't  it  ?  " 

"Oh!"  said  Willy,  "I  thought  it  was 
Toots'  and  Roger's  turn.  Toots  makes  the 
best  griddle-cakes,  and  she  ought  always 
to  get  supper." 

"  Willy,  you  ungrateful  little  monster !  " 
cried  Bell.  "  And  you  said  only  last  night 
that  my  biscuits  were  a  dream  of  joy.  You 
won't  find  me  baking  an  extra  pan  for  you, 
if  you  are  going  to  turn  upon  me  in  this  way." 

"  Oh  yes !  so  you  did,  sister,"  said  Willy, 
penitently.  "  But  you  see,  I  am  griddle-cake 
hungry  to-day,  and  yesterday  I  wasn't." 


HILDEGARDE'S  NEIGHBORS.  185 

"  Come,  Hilda  !  we'll  make  our  little  gen 
tleman  pickerel-hungry  before  he  is  an  hour 
older !  "  and  the  two  girls  hurried  into  the 
house. 

Inside  the  camp  was  a  large,  low  room, 
with  a  huge  open  fireplace  filling  nearly  one 
side.  A  plain  table  stood  in  the  middle ; 
two  hammocks  were  slung  against  the  walls, 
which  were  hung  with  guns  and  fishing- 
rods.  A  bookcase  in  one  corner,  and  Mrs. 
Merry  weather's  workstand  in  another,  com 
pleted  the  furniture  of  the  primitive  par 
lour.  On  one  side  a  door  opened  into  the  tiny 
kitchen,  and  hither  the  girls  now  betook  them 
selves,  after  reminding  Will  and  Kitty  that  it 
was  their  turn  to  set  the  supper  table.  The 
fire  was  soon  burning  brightly  in  the  stove,  the 
kettle  put  on  to  boil,  and  Hildegarde,  rolling 
up  her  sleeves,  set  to  work  mixing  and  mould 
ing  biscuits,  while  Bell  devoted  herself  to  the 
stuffing  and  dressing  of  the  big  fish. 


186  HILDEGARDE'S  NEIGHBORS. 

"  I  wish  I  had  Izaak  Walton  here ! "  she 
said,  as  she  mixed  the  bread  stuffing. 

"  Father  Izaak  pleasant  company  would  be 
at  any  moment,"  Hilda  assented;  "but  what 
do  you  want  him  for  just  now  ?  To  cook 
the  fish  for  you  ?" 

"  Not  exactly ;  I  doubt  if  he  was  as  good 
in  the  kitchen  as  by  the  brookside ;  but  to 
give  me  his  famous  receipt  for  cooking  pick 
erel.  I  should  like  to  astonish  the  family 
with  it.  I  remember  that  it  has  thyme  in 
it,  and  sweet  marjoram  and  summer  savory, 
not  to  mention  oysters  and  anchovies,  a 
pound  of  butter,  a  bottle  of  claret  and  three 
or  four  oranges ;  he  gives  you  your  choice 
about  two  cloves  of  garlic,  and  says  you  need 
not  have  them  unless  you  like.  Perhaps  on 
the  whole  it  is  just  as  well  not  to  try  the 
dish  at  present;  the  anchovies  were  left  be 
hind,  and  the  orange  trees  are  not  bearing 
very  well  this  year." 


HILDEGARDE'S  NEIGHBORS.  187 

"  Dear  me  !  "  said  Hildegarde.  "  That  is  as 
bad  as  my  Southern  receipt  for  wedding 
cake.  Two  hundred  and  one  pounds  of 
flour  and  fruit,  and  ten  eggs  to  the  pound ; 
and  if  it  isn't  rich  enough  then,  you  can 
add  two  pounds  of  currants  and  one  of 
raisins  for  each  pound  of  flour.  That  would 
make, — let  me  see!  I  worked  it  all  out 
once  :  two  hundred  and  seventy  pounds  of 
things,  and  two  thousand  seven  hundred 
eggs.  What  do  you  suppose  they  baked 
it  in?" 

"  In  the  well !  "  said  Bell.  "  That  would 
hold  it.  Or  else  they  built  a  pavilion  round 
it,  and  had  the  bride  and  groom  dance  a 
minuet  on  the  top  after  the  ceremony. 
What  fun  cook-books  are  !  Any  more  pleas 
antnesses  in  your  Southern  friend  ?  " 

"  Oh,  all  kinds  of  good  things !  I  remem 
ber  the  receipt  for  Seminole  soup ;  we  ought 
to  try  that  out  here,  if  we  could  find  the 


188  HILDEGARDE'S  NEIGHBORS. 

ingredients.  'Take  a  squirrel,  cut  it  up  and 
put  it  on  to  boil.  When  the  soup  is  nearly 
done  add  to  it  one  pint  of  picked  hickory- 
nuts  and  a  spoonful  of  parched  and  pow 
dered  sassafras  leaves,  or  the  tender  top  of 
a  young  pine  tree,  which  gives  a  very 
aromatic  flavour  to  the  soup.'  ' 

"  Oh,  do  somebody  get  us  a  pine  tree !  " 
cried  Bell.  "  That  is  truly  delightful !  We 
must  try  it  some  day.  Now  it  is  my  turn. 
I  quote  from  Mrs.  Rundell  the  glorious.  This 
is  what  she  gives  to  the  poor ;  I  don't  want  to 
be  poor  in  Mrs.  Rundell' s  parish. 

" '  Cut  a  very  thick  upper  crust  of  bread, 
and  put  it  into  the  pot  where  salt  beef  is 
boiling  and  near  ready ;  it  will  attract  some 
of  the  fat,  and,  when  swelled  out,  will  be 
no  unpalatable  dish  to  those  who  rarely 
taste  meat.'  That  is  called  a  brewis,  my 
dear ;  suppose  we  give  it  to  our  pampered 
family  here  some  day,  and  see  what  they 


HILDEGARDE'S  NEIGHBORS.  189 

say.  How  nearly  are  your  biscuits  done  ?  I 
hear  the  people  growling  inside,  like  hungry 
bears.  Uncle  Pickerel  is  beginning  to  smell 
very  good." 

"  Another  five  minutes  will  give  them  the 
requisite  '  beautiful  light  brown/  "  said  Hilde- 
garde,  peeping  into  the  oven.  "  And  the 
tea  is  made,  and  the  potatoes  are  tearing 
off  their  jackets  in  impatience  to  be  eaten." 

"  Are  we  going  to  have  any  supper  ? " 
asked  Phil,  looking  in  from  the  dining-room. 
"  Roger  has  fainted  with  hunger,  and  lies 
a  pallid  heap  on  the  floor,  and  Obadiah  is 
gnawing  his  boots  in  his  agony." 

"  As  long  as  he  does  not  swallow  the 
nails,"  said  Bell,  calmly,  "  it  will  do  him  no 
harm.  Have  the  babes  got  the  table  ready  ?  " 

"All  ready,  sister!"  cried  Kitty.  "Cups 
and  saucers  and  plates,  and  —  oh,  Willy, 
we  have  forgotten  the  butter  !  Why  do  we 
always  forget  the  butter?" 


190  HILDEGARDE'S  NEIGHBORS. 

In  five  minutes  the  whole  family  were 
seated  round  the  table,  with  the  lamp  burn 
ing  brightly  above  their  heads.  Bell  came 
in  triumphantly,  bearing  the  mighty  pickerel 
in  their  glory,  on  a  huge  platter  decorated 
with  green  leaves  and  golden-rod.  Hilde- 
garde  followed,  flushed  and  sparkling,  with 
her  biscuits  and  coffee  ;  and  every  one  fell 
to  with  right  good  will. 

"  Why  is  it  that  everything  tastes  so  good 
here?"  demanded  Will.  "At  home  I  can't 
always  eat  as  much  as  I  want  to,  and  here 
I  can  always  eat  more  than  there  is  ;  and 
yet  there  is  lots  !  "  he  added,  surveying  the 
broad  table,  heaped  with  substantial  victuals 
of  every  sort. 

"Ah!  that's  the  beauty  of  it!"  cried 
Gerald,  spearing  a  potato.  "  The  human 
capacity  enlarges,  my  son,  with  every  mile 
one  retires  from  civilisation.  When  I  was 
a  Kickapoo  Indian,  Willy,  I  ate  for  three 


HILDEGARDE'S  NEIGHBORS.  191 

weeks  without  stopping,  and  I  had  three 
buffaloes  at  a  — " 

"Gerald,  my  dear!"  said  Mrs.  Merry- 
weather. 

"  Yes,  Mater,  my  dear!  "  said  the  unblush 
ing  Gerald.  "  I  was  only  trying  to  expand 
his  mind,  like  the  Ninkum.  Excellent  bis 
cuits,  Miss  Hilda !  three  more,  if  you  please." 


192  HILDEGAKDE  8    NEIGHBORS. 


CHAPTER  XL 

A   NIGHT-PIECE. 

IT  was  clear  moonlight  when  the  girls  went 
to  bed ;  clear,  that  is,  to  Hildegarde's  unprac 
tised  eyes.  She  saw  only  the  brilliant  stars 
overhead,  and  took  no  note  of  the  low  bank 
of  cloud  in  the  south.  Captain  Roger  (for 
Roger  was  in  command  at  camp,  Mr.  Merry- 
weather  only  coming  out  at  night  on  his 
bicycle,  and  going  in  again  to  his  business  in 
the  morning),  after  a  critical  survey  of  the 
sky,  went  the  rounds  in  his  quiet  way  before 
bedtime,  making  all  secure,  but  said  nothing 
to  anybody.  Going  to  bed  was  a  matter  of 
some  labour  at  the  camp.  During  the  day 
the  beds  were  piled  one  on  top  of  another  in 


HILDEGARDE'S  NEIGHBORS.  193 

the  one  bedroom,  the  blankets,  after  hanging 
in  the  air  for  two  or  three  hours,  being  folded 
and  laid  over  them.  Only  in  the  tent  where 
Mr.  and  Mrs.  Merry  weather  slept  the  beds 
remained  stationary  all  day,  the  sides  of  the 
tent  being  rolled  high,  to  let  the  air  circulate 
in  every  direction. 

When  nine  o'clock  came,  or  ten,  as  the 
case  might  be,  the  order  was  given,  "  Bring 
out  the  beds  !  "  Straightway  the  boys  made 
broad  their  backs,  and  walked  about  like 
long-legged  tortoises,  distributing  mattresses 
here  and  there.  The  three  girls  slept  in  the 
bedroom  which  opened  off  the  living-room ; 
the  boys  and  Roger  carried  their  beds  into 
the  second  tent,  or  under  the  trees,  or  into  the 
boat-house,  as  fancy  suggested,  and  the  wind 
favoured.  Then  blankets  were  unrolled,  and 
the  business  of  bed-making  went  on  merrily. 

As  I  said,  it  was  clear  moonlight  when 
the  girls  went  to  bed ;  but  somewhere  in  the 


194  HILDEGARDE'S  NEIGHBORS. 

middle  of  the  night  Hildegarde  was  waked  by 
a  rustle  and  a  roar.  Visions  of  lions  ramped 
before  her  still-dreaming  eyes  ;  she  shuddered 
awake,  to  find  a  gale  raging  round  the  camp. 
Outside  was  one  continuous  roar  of  waves  on 
the  shore,  while  overhead  the  wind  clutched 
and  tore  at  the  branches,  and  shook  the  frail 
hut  to  its  foundations.  Hildegarde  lay  still 
and  listened,  with  a  luxurious  sense  of  safety 
amid  the  wild  tumult. 

"But  I  am  safe,  and  live  at  home!"  she 
said  softly.  Then  suddenly  a  thought  came, 
like  a  cold  hand  laid  on  her  heart,  and  she 
sat  up  in  bed,  her  breath  coming  quickly. 

"  Bell ! "  she  said,  under  breath,  that  she 
might  not  wake  little  Kitty,  "  Bell,  wake 
up!" 

"  What  is  it  ?  "  asked  Bell,  turning  drowsily 
on  her  side.  "  Not  our  turn  to  get  breakfast, 
you  know." 

"  There  is  a  storm !      Hear  it  raging  out- 


HILDEGARDE'S  NEIGHBORS.  195 

side.  Oh,  Bell !  the  birch  canoe !  Can  you 
remember  whether  we  put  her  in  the  boat- 
house  when  we  came  in  from  paddling  ?  " 

Bell  was  wide  awake  now,  and  on  her  feet 
in  an  instant. 

"  We  did  not !  "  she  said,  searching  franti 
cally  for  her  clothes.  "  My  dear,  we  left  her  ; 
don't  you  remember  ?  The  boys  were  just 
cutting  wood,  and  we  thought  we  would  wait 
bill  they  finished,  and  then,  —  what  a  wretch 
I  am  !  What  is  happening  to  this  skirt  ?  " 

"I  am  putting  it  on  too,"  said  Hildegarde. 
66  It  is  mine.  Here  is  yours.  Now  a  jacket ; 
there,  we  are  all  right.  Is  any  one  sleeping 
on  the  piazza  ?" 

"  No,  they  all  went  up  to  the  pine  grove 
to-night,  or  last  night,  or  whenever  it  was. 
Have  you  any  idea  what  time  it  is  ?  Care 
fully  now,  Hilda.  I  will  open  the  door,  and 
you  must  be  ready  to  help  me  shut  it." 

The  two  girls   stepped  out  into  the  black 


196  HILDEGARDE'S  NEIGHBORS. 

night,  and  the  wind  clutched  them.  They 
were  thrown  violently  against  the  wall  of  the 
hut,  but  contrived  to  shut  the  door  and  make 
it  fast ;  then,  bending  low  and  holding  by 
each  other,  they  crept  along  toward  the  boat- 
house.  The  waves  were  dashing  against  the 
rocks,  the  spray  flew  in  their  faces,  half 
blinding  them  ;  but  it  was  not  very  dark,  as 
there  was  a  moon  behind  the  clouds,  and  they 
could  see  their  way  dimly. 

"  Do  you  think  we  shall  find  her  ?  "  asked 
Hildegarde  under  her  breath. 

"  I  can't  hear  !  "  shouted  Bell. 

"  Do  you  think  we  shall  find  her  ? " 

Hildegarde  thought  she  was  shrieking,  but 
her  friend  only  shook  her  head. 

"  That  comes  of  asking  stupid  questions," 
said  Hildegarde  to  herself  ;  and  she  lowered 
her  head  and  fought  her  way  on  in  silence. 

Now,  groping  with  their  hands,  they  found 
the  wall  of  the  boathouse,  and  crept  along 


HILDEGARDE'S  NEIGHBORS.  197 

in  its  lee,  sheltered  somewhat  from  the 
blast;  but  when  they  stepped  out  on  the 
wharf,  the  wind  seized  them  with  such  fury 
that  Hildegarde  tottered,  staggered  back  a 
step,  and  felt  the  ground  slip  from  under  her. 
Another  moment,  and  she  would  have  been 
in  the  wild  water  ;  but  Bell  held  her  with 
a  grasp  of  steel,  and  with  one  strong  heave 
lifted  her  bodily  to  the  wharf  again.  Then 
she  shook  her  gently,  "  to  bring  back  your 
nerve!  "  she  shouted  in  explanation;  and  the 
next  moment  recoiled  herself  with  a  shriek 
that  rang  above  the  roar  of  wind  and  wave. 
Up  from  the  wharf  rose  two  forms,  blacker 
than  the  blackness  of  night  and  storm,  and 
confronted  them.  The  two  girls  clung  close 
together. 

"What  is  it?"  cried  Bell,  faintly. 

Now  Hildegarde  was  in  mortal  terror  of 
the  storm,  but  she  did  not  fear  anything 
that  had  human  shape.  "  Who  are  you  ? " 


198  HILDEGARDE'S  NEIGHBORS. 

she  asked,  sternly.     "What  are   you   doing 
on  this  wharf?" 

"  We  are  playing  on  the  jewsharp ! "  replied 
a  familiar  voice.  "  What  are  you  doing,  if  it 
comes  to  that  ?  " 

"  Oh,  Jerry !  oh,  Phil  !  how  could  you 
frighten  us  so  ?  We  thought,  —  I  don't 
know  what  we  didn't  think.  We  came  to 
see  if  the  canoe  was  safe.  We  forgot  to 
see  that  you  put  her  up  after  tea." 

"  Just    what    we    came    for,"    said    Phil 
"  She  isn't  here ;  I'm  afraid  she's  gone." 

The  girls  uttered  a  cry  of  dismay, 

"Oh,  it  can't  be !  Look  in  the  boathouse, 
boys  ;  it  is  possible  —  " 

"  It  is  highly  possible,"  said  Jerry,  "  thai 
she  got  up  on  end  and  walked  in,  as  SOOD 
as  she  saw  that  the  weather  looked  squally. 
She's  a  very  sensible  boat,  but  weak  in  the 
legs,  if  you  follow  me.  I  think  she's  gone ; 
and  a  very  pretty  kettle  of  fish  she  makes 


HILDEGARDE'S  NEIGHBORS.  199 

to  seethe  two  tender  bodies  in.  I  wouldn't 
be  us,  Fergs,  my  boy,  when  the  Cap'n  finds 
it  out  to-morrow." 

"Wait,"  said  Hildegarde,  "  oh,  wait! 
Don't  let  us  give  up  hope.  It  will  do  no 
harm  to  look,  Jerry." 

"  No  harm  in  life,"  said  Jerry.  "  Just 
hold  on  to  this  wind,  will  you,  while  I 
get  in." 

With  some  difficulty  he  opened  the  boat- 
house  door;  then,  sheltered  behind  it,  he 
struck  a  match,  while  all  pressed  eagerly 
forward.  There  in  her  place,  high  and  dry, 
lay  the  birch  canoe.  Nobody  said  anything 
for  a  moment ;  the  relief  was  too  great. 
Hildegarde  felt  the  tears  come  to  her  eyes, 
she  could  not  tell  why ;  but  she  found  her 
self  saying  under  her  breath,  "We  might 
have  known  he  would  do  it;  he  always 
takes  care  of  everything." 

"  Roger  is  a  tedious  person,"  said  Gerald, 


200  HILDEGARDE'S  NEIGHBORS. 

turning  off  his  satisfaction  with  a  laugh. 
•'The  amount  of  virtue  that  he  staggers 
under  is  enough  to  swamp  anybody.  He 
will  come  to  the  gallows  yet,  you'll  see ! 
Human  nature  must  assert  itself  some  time. 
Whew  !  there  goes  my  head !  Catch  it,  Bell, 
will  you?" 

"  I  am  very,  very  hungry! "  Phil  announced 
with  mournful  emphasis.  "  It  makes  me 
starved  to  play  this  kind  of  game  in  the 
middle  of  the  night.  Can't  we  have  some 
food,  to  celebrate  the  safety  of  the  Chee- 

O  " 

maun ' 

"Me,  too!"  cried  Gerald.  "I  am  dying, 
Egypt,  dying !  a  corpse  among  the  alders 
dank  —  " 

"Oh,  do  stop,  boys!"  cried  Bell.  "I'll 
push  you  off  the  wharf  if  you  go  on  so." 

"  Oh,  wouldn't  us  lorf,  if  she  pushed  us 
off  the  wharf!  "cried  Gerald. 

"I   am   cross!"   said    Bell.     "My    hair   is 


HILDEGARDE'S  NEIGHBORS.  201 

wound  all  round  my  neck,  and  I  am  half 
strangled.  You  boys  think  of  nothing  but 
eating  from  morning  till  night.  But  I  am 
hungry  myself,  so  come  along ! ' ' 

The  four  buffeted  their  way  back  to  the 
house,  and  Phil  climbed  in  at  the  pantry 
window  and  opened  the  kitchen  door  for  the 
dripping  party.  They  lighted  a  lantern,  and 
judicious  rummaging  produced  crackers  and 
cheese,  gingerbread,  and  some  bottles  of  root 
beer.  Merrily  the  four  adventurers  gathered 
round  the  table,  dripping,  rosy  arid  breath 
less;  the  girls'  long  locks  hung  down  over 
their  shoulders,  the  boys'  short  curls  were 
plastered  close  to  their  heads. 

"  We  must  be  a  lovely  sight ! "  said  Bell. 
"  What  a  pity  there  is  no  one  to  see  us ! 
What  do  you  want,  Jerry  ?  " 

"  I  want  raspberry  jam,  chiefly,"  said 
Gerald,  "  but  first  I  want  to  make  a  speech. 
I  propose  a  sentiment.  Pledging  the  assem- 


202  HILDEGARDE'S  NEIGHBORS. 

bled  company  in  this  beaker  of  rich  wine  — 
Let  go  that  bottle,  Ferguson,  or  I'll  have 
your  life !  that's  my  beaker,  I  tell  you ! 
There  !  now  you've  upset  it.  Attendez  seule- 
ment  bis  ich  dein  tete  abliaue  !  " 

"Take  the  butter-dish,"  said  Bell.  "That 
will  do  just  as  well." 

"  I  pledge  the  assembled  company  in  this 
rich  butter,"  Gerald  continued  with  dignity, 
"  though  it  is  not  so  comfortable  to  drink, 
and  I  propose,  first,  the  confusion  of  Fergu 
son,  who  is  a  pettifogger  and  an  armadillo, 
and,  secondly,  the  health  of  our  captain, 
Roger,  the  Codger,  who  saved  the  Cheemaun. 
Three  cheers  for  the  well-bred  captain  of 
the  —  " 

"  Thank  you  so  much !  "  said  Roger,  look 
ing  in  through  the  window.  "  Empty  com 
pliments  are  all  very  well,  but  I  think  I 
might  have  been  asked  to  supper." 

He  was  hailed  with  a  chorus  of  shouts,  and 


HILDEGARDE'S  NEIGHBORS.  203 

stepping  in  through  the  window,  drew  up  a 
stool  and  sat  down  by  Hildegarde. 

"  What  have  you  been  doing,  children  ? "  he 
asked,  looking  round  at  the  four,  who  had 
now  arrived  at  the  smoking  stage  of  damp 
ness,  each  sending  up  his  little  pillar  of 
cloud. 

Four  eager  voices  told  him  of  the  search 
and  the  finding,  and  he  smiled  quietly  as  he 
helped  himself  to  jam. 

"  I  wonder  what  you  took  me  for ! "  he 
said,  "  I  truly  wonder.  The  boat  went  to  bed 
at  nine  o'clock,  with  the  rest  of  the  children. 
I  beg  your  pardon,  Miss  Grahame,"  he  added, 
turning  to  Hildegarde  with  his  kind,  grave 
smile,  "for  naming  you  in  company  with  this 
lawless  crew  of  mine." 

"  Oh,  please,"  cried  Hildegarde,  "  I  like  to 
—  I  wish  I  were  —  She  stammered,  and 
felt  herself  blushing  in  the  furious  way  that 
makes  a  girl  the  most  helpless  creature  in  the 


204  HILDEGARDE'S  NEIGHBORS. 

world.  She  would  have  given  her  hand,  she 
thought,  to  keep  back  the  tide  that  surged  up 
over  throat  and  cheek  and  brow.  "  When 
there  is  nothing  earthly  to  blush  about, 
ninny !  "  she  almost  cried  aloud. 

But  Bell  came  to  the  rescue.  "  She  wishes 
she  were  much  wiser  than  the  rest  of  us, 
Roger,  but  she  doesn't  think  she  is,  and  I  am 
really  not  so  sure  about  it  myself.  That  is 
the  best  part  of  her:  she's  just  a  girl." 

"  Just  a  girl !  "  said  Roger,  looking  at  Hil- 
degarde  ;  and  he  looked  so  kindly  that  poor 
Hildegarde  blushed  again. 


HILDEGARDE'S  NEIGHBORS.  205 


CHAPTER   XII. 

A-SAILING   WE    WILL    GO. 

"FRIENDS/'  said  Mrs.  Merry  weather,  "the 
day  is  before  us.  What  is  the  plan  of 
action  ? " 

u  I  go  a-fishing,"  said  Roger  ;  "  and  with 
me  Willy,  to  take  his  first  lesson  in  bass- 
fishing." 

"I  tinker  the  wharf,"  said  Phil;  "and 
with  me  Obadiah,  to  take  his  first  lesson  in 
useful  occupation." 

"  Verily  and  in  good  sooth/'  put  in  Gerald, 
"  the  most  useful  occupation  I  can  think  of, 
my  peripatetic  food-absorber,  would  be  to 
heave  thee  into  the  glassy  deep." 

"  Like  to  see  you  try  it ! "  said  Ferguson. 


206     HILDEGARDE'S  NEIGHBORS. 

"  Anything  to  oblige !  "  replied  Obadiah, 
rising  with  alacrity. 

" Don't  booby,  boys!"  said  Roger,  with 
quiet  authority.  "  Let  other  people  have  a 
chance  to  speak." 

"  Hilda  and  I  will  make  a  pie !  "  said 
Bell ;  "  '  which  is  werse,'  said  Mr.  Peggotty, 
'  though  sich  were  not  my  intentions.' ' 

"And  I  have  gingerbread  to  make,  and 
raspberries  to  pick,"  said  Gertrude,  "  so  Kitty 
must  help  me." 

"  But  what  do  I  see  ? "  cried  Gerald,  in 
tragic  tones.  "  A  vessel  in  the  offing,  headed 
in  this  direction.  Now  who  do  you  suppose 
has  the  cheek  to  come  here  ?  " 

"  Probably  some  lunatic  is  thirsty,"  said 
Phil,  "  and  wants  a  glass  of  water.  You 
know,  Miss  Hilda,  they  come  here  by  the 
boatload,  asking  for  water,  and  we  show  them 
the  lake  and  tell  'em  to  help  themselves.  It 
makes  them  hop  with  rage.  They  say, 


HILDEGARDE'S  NEIGHBORS.  207 

4 What!  do  you  drink  this?'  Then,  when 
we  tell  them  that  all  their  water  supply 
comes  from  this  lake,  they  grin  like  a  dog 
and  go  about  the  city,  —  I  mean  depart  on 
their  imbecile  way.  But  these  people  are  all 
dressed  up.  Oh,  Momus  and  Comus  !  There 
are  girls  on  board  !  Come  on,  Obadiah  !  " 

The  twins  vanished,  and  the  others  looked 
curiously  at  the  approaching  craft.  It  was  a 
small  steam  launch,  gayly  adorned  with  paint 
and  streamers;  in  the  bow  stood  a  light, 
girlish  figure,  waving  a  handkerchief  and 
gesticulating  with  fervour. 

"Who  can  it  'be?"  asked  Mrs.  Merry- 
weather.  "  The  boat  is  from  Pollock's  Cove, 
isn't  it,  Koger?" 

"  Yes ;  but  I  see  no  one  on  board  that  I 
know.  That  young  lady  evidently  thinks  she 
is  coming  among  friends,  however.  Look! 
they  are  putting  out  a  boat.  I  will  go  and 
see  what  is  wanted." 


208  HILDEGARDE'S  NEIGHBORS. 

He  went  to  the  wharf,  and  the  rest  waited 
in  some  amusement,  thinking  that  a  mistake 
had  been  made.  To  their  amazement  they 
saw  Roger,  after  a  moment's  parley,  help  the 
young  lady  out  of  the  boat,  which  straight 
way  returned  to  the  launch ;  before  they  had 
time  to  exchange  wonderments,  she  was 
advancing  toward  them  with  outstretched 
arms. 

"  My  dearest,  dearest  Hildegarde !  Do  I 
see  you  again,  after  so  many  years  ?  Quel 
plaisirf  what  joy!" 

The  young  lady  was  dressed  in  the  ex 
treme  of  fashion,  with  little  boots,  and  little 
gloves,  and  a  dotted  veil,  and  a  chiffon 
parasol,  and  Hildegarde  was  folded  in  a 
perfumed  embrace  before  she  had  fairly 
recognised  her  visitor. 

"Madge!"  she  cried,  "is  it  really  you?" 

"  Myself,  cherie  f  your  own  Madge.  I 
heard  that  you  were  in  the  wilderness  here, 


THE  MEETING  OF  MADGE  AND  HILDFGARDE. 


HILDEGARDE'S  NEIGHBORS.  209 

and  flew  to  you.  What  a  change,  my  dear 
est,  from  —  " 

"Mrs.  Merry  weather,"  said  Hildegarde,  her 
cheeks  burning,  but  her  voice  quiet  and  cour 
teous,  "this  is  Margaret  Everton,  an  old  school 
mate  of  mine.  Mrs.  Merryweather,  Madge, 
with  whom  I  am  staying.  Miss  Merryweather, 
Professor  Merryweather,  Miss  Everton." 

"Oh,  hum-mum-m-m-m:m-m ! "  said  Madge, 
or  something  that  sounded  like  it.  The 
Merryweathers  welcomed  her  courteously, 
and  Mrs.  Merryweather  asked  if  she  had 
come  over  from  Pollock's  Cove. 

"  Oh,  yes  !  I  am  staying  there  for  a  day 
or  two.  Some  friends  of  mine  are  there, 
charming  people,  and  I  heard  that  Hilde 
garde  was  here,  and  of  course  I  flew  to  see 
her.  She  is  my  oldest  and  dearest  friend, 
Mrs.  Merryweather." 

"  Indeed !  "  said  Mrs.  Merryweather,  with 
friendly  interest. 


210  HILDEGARDE'S  NEIGHBORS. 

"  Yes,  indeed.  We  were  at  school  to 
gether,  and  like  twins,  except  for  the  differ 
ence  in  colouring.  Ah,  les  beaux  jours 
d'enfance,  Hilda,  rny  love!  And  you  are 
quite,  quite  unchanged  since  the  happy  days 
at  Madame  Haut  Ton's.  c  Queen  Hilde- 
garde '  we  used  to  call  her  then,  Miss  Merry- 
weather.  Yes,  indeed!  she  was  the  proudest, 
the  most  exclusive  girl  on  Murray  Hill.  The 
little  aristocratic  turn  of  her  head  when  she 
saw  anything  vulgar  or  common  was  quite 
too  killing.  Turn  your  head,  Hilda,  my 
love!" 

Hildegarde  coloured  hotly.  "  Please  don't 
be  absurd,  Madge !  "  she  said. 

u  Pray  turn  your  head,  Miss  Grahame  !  " 
said  Roger  Merry  weather,  gravely.  "  I  am 
sure  it  would  interest  us." 

Hildegarde  shot  an  imploring  glance  at 
him,  and  turned  in  desperation  fco  her 
visitor. 


HILDEGARDE'S  NEIGHBORS.  211 

"  It  is  a  long  time  since  I  have  heard 
from  you,  Madge,"  she  said.  "  I  am  sure 
you  must  have  a  great  deal  to  tell  me.  If 
Mrs.  Merry  weather  will  excuse  us,  suppose 
we  go  for  a  little  walk  together." 

"  Surely,  my  dear  ! "  exclaimed  Mrs.  Merry- 
weather,  with  perhaps  unnecessary  cordiality. 

But  Madge  had  made  herself  very  comfort 
able  on  the  verandah,  and  had  no  intention 
of  stirring  just  yet.  Go  scrambling  about 
over  rocks,  and  tearing  herself  to  pieces 
among  bushes  ?  Hardly.  Besides,  one  glance 
had  shown  her  that  Professor  Merryweather 
was  uncommonly  good-looking.  She  settled 
herself  gracefully  in  her  chair,  and  gave  a 
pretty  little  sigh. 

"  Dear  child,  I  am  a  wretched  walker, 
alas !  You  know  I  never  was  strong,  and 
this  winter's  gaiety  quite  finished  me.  I 
am  ordered  to  rest,  positively,  this  summer, 
under  the  severest  penalties.  It  was  really 


212  HILDEGARDE'S  NEIGHBORS. 

a  terrible  winter  in  New  York.  Every  one 
said  it  was  a  wonder  the  girls  were  not 
killed,  they  went  such  a  pace.  Do  you 
never  come  over  to  Pollock's  Cove,  Professor 
Merry  weather  ?  we  had  such  a  charming  hop 
there  last  night  ;  danced  till  two  o'clock, 
with  such  music  !  You  must  positively  come 
over  for  the  next  one  ;  we  are  to  have  them 
every  week." 

Roger  thanked  her,  but  was  not  a  dancing 
man,  and  hops  were  hardly  in  their  line  out 
here. 

"  Not  a  dancing  man  !  What  a  confession, 
Professor  Merry  weather !  But  I  am  sure  you 
really  dance  beautifully ;  doesn't  he,  Hilda  ?  " 

"  I  don't  know ! "  said  Hilda,  laughing. 
"He  has  never  asked  me  to  dance,  Madge." 

"  Ah !  you  are  quizzing  me.  I  will  never 
believe  he  could  be  so  ungallant.  But  Hilda, 
1  hear  that  really  you  live  in  positive  seclu 
sion,  like  a  nun  without  a  convent.  My 


HILDEGARDE'S  NEIGHBORS.  213 

dear,  how  tragic,  to  pass  your  best  years 
in  this  way !  I  told  mamma  that  I  should 
positively  implore  you  to  come  to  me  this 
winter,  and  she  said  it  was  my  duty.  To 
think  of  you,  Hilda,  forswearing  the  world  ! 
It  is  too  bizarre  !  But  we  have  not  forgotten 
our  little  queen  on  Murray  Hill;  no,  no, 
dear ! " 

"  You  are  mistaken,  Madge,"  said  Hilda. 
"I  was  in  New  York  for  several  weeks  last 
winter,  staying  with  Aunt  Anna;  but  you 
were  in  Washington  at  the  time." 

"  Oh,  but  I  heard  of  you  !  "  cried  Madge, 
archly.  "  I  heard  how  the  whole  Hill  was 
at  Miss  Grahame's  feet,  and  how  Bobby  Van 
Sittart  nearly  went  into  a  decline  because  she 
would  not  smile  on  his  suit.  I  heard  —  " 

"  I  think  you  heard  a  great  deal  of  non 
sense,  Madge  !  "  said  Hilda  with  some  asperity. 
"  Come  !  you  would  like  to  see  something  of 
the  island  before  the  steamer  comes  to  take 


214  HILDEGARDE'S  NEIGHBORS. 

you  back.  I  will  get  the  canoe  and  take 
you  for  a  paddle." 

Madge  recoiled  with  a  pretty  shriek. 

"  Oh,  horrors !  Trust  myself  in  a  horrid 
tippy  canoe,  with  a  girl  ?  Never,  ray  dear ! 
I  value  my  life  too  highly,  I  assure  you. 
But  there  is  a  sailboat!  I  dote  on  sailing, 
and  I  am  sure  Professor  Merry  weather  is  a 
superb  sailor." 

Professor  Merryweather  rose  with  a  smile, 
and  would  be  charmed  to  take  the  young 
ladies  out  in  the  Keewaydin. 

"  Oh,  but,  Captain  Roger,  you  were  going 
out  fishing!"  cried  Hildegarde,  her  cheeks 
crimson  with  mortification. 

Roger  looked  at  her  with  a  twinkle. 
"  The  fishes  are  not  expected  to  migrate  just 
yet,  and  there  is  a  good  wind  for  sailing. 
Pray  come,  Miss  Grahame !  " 

Madge  was  already  on  her  feet,  fluttering 
with  coquetry ;  and  Hildegarde,  after  a  de- 


HILDEGARDE'S  NEIGHBORS.  215 

spairing  glance  at  Mrs.  Merryweather,  saw 
that  she  could  do  nothing  but  lead  the  way  to 
the  wharf. 

"Won't  you  come,  Bell?"  she  asked  wist 
fully  ;  but  Bell  was  cruel,  and  said  she  must 
attend  to  her  cooking ;  adding  for  the  special 
edification  of  the  stranger  that  she  had  the 
floor  to  scrub  and  the  fish  to  clean.  In  silence 
Hildegarde  walked  down  the  wharf ;  she  was 
thoroughly  upset,  and  turning  to  look  back 
to  the  house,  it  did  not  restore  her  composure 
to  see  Obadiah  and  Ferguson  standing  on  their 
hands  on  the  piazza,  waving  their  feet  in  the 
air  with  every  demonstration  of  frantic  joy. 

The  little  rowboat  was  unmoored,  and  a 
few  quick  strokes  brought  them  alongside  the 
Keewaydin.  Hildegarde  had  never  thought 
it  could  be  anything  but  pleasure  to  her  to 
board  this  beloved  vessel,  but  she  found  her 
self  now  wishing  that  sailing  had  never  been 
invented.  She  glanced  timidly  at  Roger,  but 


216  HILDEQARDE'S  NEIGHBORS. 

there  was  no  expression  in  his  face  as  he 
handed  Madge  on  board,  and  replied  gravely 
to  her  lively  questions.  Madge  was  treading 
on  air.  They  had  told  her  at  Pollock's  Cove 
that  she  would  not  be  able  to  get  a  word  out 
of  the  handsome  young  professor ;  and  here  he 
was  at  her  side,  perhaps — who  knew?  —  soon 
to  be  at  her  feet.  A  little  absent-minded,  to 
be  sure,  but  they  were  often  that  way  when  a 
strong  impression  had  been  made.  As  for 
poor  Hilda,  it  was  really  lamentable  to  see 
how  utterly  she  had  lost  her  savoir-faire,  liv 
ing  in  the  wilderness.  Here  was  this  charm 
ing  man,  really  with  the  bel  air,  and  distin 
guished  in  some  way  or  other,  and  she  was  as 
mute  as  a  fish.  Really,  it  was  a  charity  to 
come  and  see  her. 

"  Would  you  like  to  take  the  helm,  Miss 
Hilda?"  asked  Roger. 

Hilda  thanked  him  with  a  glance,  and 
took  her  place  at  the  tiller  in  silence. 


HILDEGARDE'S  NEIGHBORS.  217 

"  Oh,  Professor  Merry  weather !  are  you 
really  going  to  trust  us  to  Hilda's  steering  ? 
I  am  sure,  now,  you  think  girls  are  too 
ignorant  to  know  anything  about  that  sort 
of  thing.  I  wonder  at  you  !  Our  lives  may 
not  be  of  much  consequence,  because,  of 
course,  we  are  only  silly  little  girls,  but  to 
risk  your  own  life  so,  really,  I  am  surprised." 

She  paused  for  the  compliment  that  should 
follow,  but  Roger  only  said,  "  Bear  away, 
please !  "  and  loosened  the  sheet  a  little. 

"  Did  your  ears  burn  yesterday,  Professor 
Merry  weather  ?  I  am  sure  they  must  have. 
Everybody  was  talking  about  you  at  the 
hotel,  and  they  said  you  had  done  some 
thing  so  remarkable,  —  something  about  a 
prism,  wasn't  it  ?  You  remember,  Hilda, 
all  the  prisms  on  the  chandeliers  at  Ma 
dame  Haut  Ton's !  Do  yours  go  on  a  chan 
delier,  Professor  Merry  weather  ?  " 

"  Not  exactly  !  "  said  Roger.     "  You  have 


218  HILDEGARDE'S  NEIGHBORS. 

a  large  party  at  Pollock's,  I  believe,  Miss 
Everton  ?  I  think  I  heard  the  Sinclairs  say 
they  were  to  be  there  this  month." 

"  Oh,  aren't  the  Sinclairs  enchanting  ? " 
cried  Madge,  with  effusion.  "  And  isn't 
Jack  simply  delicious?  I  danced  with  him 
ten  times  last  night,  and  each  dance  was 
better  than  the  last.  Professor  Merry- 
weather,  I  shall  give  you  no  peace  till  you 
promise  to  come  over  for  the  next  hop." 

"  We  are  not  to  expect  peace  in  this  world, 
are  we  ?  "  said  Roger,  smiling.  "  Steady,  Miss 
Grahame !  as  you  are  !  " 

"  I  think  nautical  terms  are  too  delicious ! " 
cried  Madge.  "  And  that  reminds  me,  Hilda, 
Grace  Atherleigh  has  just  come  back  from 
Europe.  She  has  been  away  three  years, 
you  know ;  in  Paris  most  of  the  time,  —  dear 
Paris !  Don't  you  adore  it,  Professor  Merry- 
weather  ?  And  she  has  brought  back  forty- 
three  dresses.  Yes,  my  dear,  it  is  true,  for  I 


HILDEGARDE'S  NEIGHBORS.  219 

had  it  from  her  aunt,  Mrs.  Gusham.  Forty- 
three  dresses,  all  made  this  spring.  And  she 
had  the  most  horrible  time  at  the  custom 
house —  " 

"  Madge,"  said  Hildegarde,  as  patiently 
as  she  could,  "  will  you  please  wait  for  the 
stories  till  we  get  back  to  the  wharf  ?  I 
must  attend  to  the  steering,  and  I  cannot 
listen  at  the  same  time." 

"  My  dear,  I  am  dumb  !  I  only  just  want 
to  tell  you  before  I  forget  it  —  you  know 
what  a  wretched  memory  I  have  —  what 
happened  - 

"Luff!"  said  Roger,  suddenly.  "Luff, 
child,  luff!" 

Startled  and  confused,  Hildegarde  tried 
to  do  as  she  was  told,  but,  in  her  distress, 
did  exactly  the  opposite,  and  bore  away ;  a 
grating  sound  was  heard  :  the  boat  slid  for 
ward  a  few  feet  and  stopped  short. 

"  Oh,  what  have  I  done  ? "  cried  poor  Hilda. 


220  HILDEGARDE'S  NEIGHBORS. 

"  Nothing  of  consequence  !  We  have  run 
on  a  shoal,  that  is  alL  Sit  steady,  please, 
ladies  !  " 

Roger  was  overboard  in  an  instant,  up  to  his 
waist  in  water,  pushing  at  the  boat.  Hilda  sat 
dumb  and  scarlet,  and  even  Madge  was  sub 
dued  for  the  time,  and  murmured  exclamations 
under  her  breath.  It  was  only  a  moment ;  a 
few  vigorous  shoves  set  the  Keewaydin  afloat 
again,  and  Roger  leaped  lightly  in. 

"  Perhaps  I  would  better  take  the  tiller 
this  time  !  "  he  said.  "  The  bottom  seems  to 
be  shoal  all  about  here.  And  if  you  and  Miss 
Everton  will  sit  a  little  forward,  Hilda,  you 
will  be  more  comfortable;  I  fear  I  cannot 
help  dripping  like  hoary  Nereus  all  over  the 
stern  here." 

He  hafl  never  called  her  by  her  name 
before.  Hildegarde  reflected  that  for  once 
she  could  not  blush,  being  already  a  Tyrian 
purple.  Of  course  it  slipped  out  without  his 


HILDEGARDE'S  NEIGHBORS.  221 

knowing  it ;  but  she  was  conscious  of  Madge's 
gaze,  and  for  once  was  thankful  for  her 
crimson  cheeks. 

This  incident,  or  something  else,  had  a 
quieting  effect  upon  Miss  Everton,  and  the 
sail  home  was  a  silent  one.  Roger  was  not 
inclined  to  talk,  and  he  had  a  power  of 
silence  which  was  apt  to  extend  to  his  com 
panions  ;  so  they  were  all  relieved  when  the 
Keewaydin  glided  gracefully  to  her  moorings, 
and  Ferguson  appeared  in  the  small  boat  to 
take  them  ashore. 

"  This  is  my  brother  Philip,  Miss  Everton!" 
said  Roger.  "  Now  if  you  will  step  into  the 
boat,  he  will  take  you  and  Miss  Grahame 
ashore 9  while  I  make  all  fast  here.  If  you 
will  take  his  hand,  and  be  careful  to  step  in 
the  middle  of  the  boat.  In  the  middle  of 
the  boat,  Miss  Everton !  Ah !  "  For  Madge, 
with  an  airy  leap,  had  alighted  full  on  the 
gunwale.  Down  went  the  boat ;  the  girl 


222  HILDEGARDE'S  NEIGHBORS. 

tried  to  regain  her  balance,  but  in  vain,  and 
after  a  few  moments'  frantic  struggle,  fell 
headlong  into  the  water. 

Phil  had  thrown  himself  to  starboard  the 
moment  he  felt  the  shock  of  her  alight 
ing,  hoping  to  counterbalance  her  weight; 
but  he  was  too  light.  Now,  however,  he 
leaned  swiftly  forward,  and  caught  the  little 
French  boots  as  they  disappeared  under  the 
clear  water.  There  was  nothing  else  to  be 
done.  In  this  ignominious*  way,  feet  fore 
most,  poor  Madge  had  to  be  dragged  in  over 
the  gunwale,  dripping  and  shrieking. 

"  You  odious  boy ! "  she  cried,  as  soon  as  she 
could  find  breath.  "  You  did  it  on  purpose ! 
You  tried  to  drown  me,  I  know  you  did !  " 

Hildegarde  hastened  to  her  assistance. 
Roger,  his  face  set  like  a  rock,  but  his  eyes 
dancing  wickedly,  proffered  his  aid,  but  was 
peevishly  repulsed.  As  for  Phil,  he  could 
only  try  to  control  himself,  and  murmured 


HILDEGARDE'S  NEIGHBORS.  223 

broken  excuses  between  the  gusts  of  laughter 
which  shook  him  like  a  reed.  Madge  was  a 
sorry  sight,  all  her  gay  plumes  broken  and 
dripping,  her  spotted  veil  in  a  little  wet  mop 
over  one  eye,  her  floating  curls  reduced  to 
forlorn  strings  of  wet  hair,  her  light  dress 
clinging  about  her.  How  different  from  the 
bright  bird  of  paradise  that  had  so  lately 
fluttered  down  on  the  camp,  bent  on  con 
quest  !  Now  her  only  thought  was  to  escape. 
Mrs.  Merry  weather  met  her  on  the  wharf 
with  open  arms  and  a  warm  blanket,  and  she 
was  brought  to  the  camp,  and  dried  and 
warmed  as  quickly  as  possible.  But  Madge's 
temper,  none  of  the  sweetest  by  nature,  was 
completely  spoiled;  she  had  only  peevish  or 
sullen  answers  for  all  the  expressions  of 
sympathy  and  condolence  that  were  poured 
out  by  the  kindly  campers.  It  was  all  the 
boy's  fault,  and  there  was  no  excuse  for  him. 
She  ought  to  have  known  better  than  to 


224  HILDEGARDE' s  NEIGHBORS. 

come  among  such.  But  here  Hilda  pressed 
her  hand,  and  said  "Be  still !  "  in  a  low  tone, 
but  with  a  flash  of  the  eye  that  so  forcibly 
recalled  the  "  Queen  Hildegarde  "  of  old  days 
that  Madge  subsided,  and  whimpered  to  her 
self  till  the  steamer  came  to  take  her  back  to 
Pollock's  Cove. 

When  she  was  gone  Hildegarde  slipped 
away,  saying  that  she  would  pick  some 
apples  for  tea ;  and  on  reaching  the  apple 
tree,  she  sat  down  under  its  hanging  branches 
and  indulged  in  a  good  cry,  a  rare  luxury  for 
her.  It  was  a  comfort  to  let  the  tears  come, 
and  to  tell  the  friendly  tree  over  and  over 
again  that  he  would  never  forgive  her;  that 
she  was  the  most  imbecile  creature  that  ever 
lived,  and  that  Madge  was  the  only  per 
son  she  deserved  to  have  for  a  friend,  and 
that,  now  the  others  had  found  her  out,  the 
sooner  she  went  home  to  her  mother  the  bet 
ter.  Her  mother  would  not  expect  her  to  be 


HILDEGARDE'S  NEIGHBORS.  225 

sensible ;  her  mother  knew  better  than  to 
expect  things  of  her.  She  was  not  fit  to 
be  with  these  people,  who  were  so  terribly 
clever,  and  knew  so  many  things:  and  so  on 
and  so  on,  in  the  most  astonishing  way,  our 
quiet,  self-possessed  girl  sobbing  and  crying 
as  if  her  heart  would  break,  utterly  amazed 
at  herself,  and  wondering  all  the  time  what 
was  the  matter  with  her,  and  whether  she 
would  ever  be  able  to  stop. 

She  stopped  suddenly  enough  ;  for  Roger, 
coming  through  the  fields  with  the  milk, 
heard  this  piteous  sobbing,  and  setting  down 
his  cans,  parted  the  branches  of  the  apple 
tree,  saying  in  his  kindest  voice:  "Why, 
my  Kitty,  my  Pretty,  what  is  the  matter 
with  you  ?  who  hurt  my  little  —  I  —  I  beg 
your  pardon,  Miss  Grahame  !  " 

Hildegarde  felt  the  hand  of  fate  very 
heavy  on  her,  but  was  quite  helpless,  and 
sobbed  harder  than  ever. 


226  HILDEGARDE'S  NEIGHBORS. 

What  was  a  poor  professor  to  do  ?  Fortu 
nately,  Roger  had  plenty  of  sisters,  and  knew 
that  a  girl  did  not  kill  herself  when  she  cried. 
After  a  moment's  thought,  in  which  he  re 
minded  himself  severely  that  he  was  getting 
to  be  an  old  fellow,  and  might  be  this  child's 
uncle,  he  came  under  the  tree  and  sat  down 
on  the  grass. 

"Can  you  tell  me  what  troubles  you?" 
he  asked,  still  in  the  gentle  voice  that  was 
rather  specially  Kitty's  privilege.  "  You 
have  had  no  bad  news  ? " 

Hilda  shook  her  head. 

"  Perhaps  if  you  were  to  tell  me  what  the 
trouble  is,  I  could  help  you;  or  would  you 
rather  I  would  go  away  and  not  bother 
you?" 

No  !  Hildegarde,  to  her  own  amazement, 
would  rather  he  stayed.  Whereupon,  Roger, 
drawing  from  his  experience  of  girls,  per 
ceived  that  there  was  nothing  to  do  but  sit 


HILDEGARDE'S  NEIGHBORS.  227 

and  wait  till  the  storm  had  spent  itself.  So 
he  picked  the  apples  within  his  reach,  and 
reflected  on  the  feminine  character. 

Presently  a  small  and  shaken  voice  said 
from  under  the  handkerchief,  "I  —  am  so 
sorry  --  you  got  wet,  Captain  Roger  !  " 

"  Got  wet?"  said  Roger,  vaguely.  He  was 
generally  more  or  less  wet,  being  an  amphibi 
ous  creature,  and  did  not  for  the  moment 
grasp  Hildegarde's  meaning. 

"I  ran  —  the  —  boat  aground,  and  you 
jumped  overboard,  and  got  —  all  wet!"  and 
Hildegarde  sobbed  afresh. 

u  You  don't  mean  —  "  said  Roger.  "You 
are  not  troubled  about  that  ?  " 

But  it  appeared  that  Hildegarde  was 
troubled  about  that. 

"  My  dear  child,  do  you  think  I  did  not 
see  that  it  was  not  your  fault  ?  You  were 
doing  beautifully,  if  that  —  if  Miss  Everton 
had  let  you  alone  for  an  instant.  And  do 


228  HILDEGARDE'S  NEIGHBORS. 

you  think  I  mind  a  wetting,  or  twenty  wet 
tings?  Miss  Hilda,  I  thought  you  knew 
better  than  that." 

"I  was  so  stupid!"  said  Hildegarde,  wip 
ing  her  eyes,  and  trying  to  speak  evenly. 
"I  thought  you  were  very  angry,  because 
you  were  so  silent.  I  thought  you  would 
never — " 

"  Silent,  was  I  ?  Well,  you  know  I  am  in 
a  brown  study  half  the  time.  Isn't  that  why 
they  call  me  Roger  the  Codger?  But  this 
time,  —  oh,  I  remember!  I  was  trying  to 
make  out  how  that  shoal  came  to  be  there, 
when  it  is  not  buoyed  out  on  the  map. 
Come,  Miss  Hilda,  you  must  laugh  now !  " 

And  Hilda  laughed,  and  dried  her  eyes, 
and  looked  up, 

"  All  kinder  smily  round  the  lips, 
And  teary  round  the  lashes." 

"  That's  right ! "  said  Roger,  heartily. 
"Now  you  shall  be  Kitty,  and  we  will  — 


HILDEGARDE'S  NEIGHBORS.  229 

we  will  shake  hands  and  be  friends,  and  eat 
an  apple  together.  Kitty  and  I  always  do 
that  when  we  have  had  a  tiff." 

So  they  did  ;  and  the  apples  on  that  tree 
were  the  best  apples  in  the  world. 


230  HILDEGAKDE'S  NEIGHBORS. 


CHAPTER   XIII. 

IN    PERIL    BY    WATER. 

"ALL  aboard  !  "  said  Roger. 

"Ay!  ay!  Captain!"  said  Hildegarde, 
cheerily.  She  handed  in  the  groceries  which 
they  had  bought  at  the  little  store,  half  a  mile 
away,  stepped  lightly  into  the  exact  middle  of 
the  canoe,  and  sank  with  one  motion  to  her 

seat. 

Roger  nodded  approvingly.  "  You  are  per 
fect  in  your  entrances  !  "  he  said.  "  Some  day 
I  shall  have  to  drill  you  in  your  exits,  as  I 
did  the  girls." 

"What  do  you  mean?"  asked  Hilda. 
"  Don't  I  get  out  properly  ?" 

"  Quite  well  enough  for  ordinary  occasions. 


HILDEGARDE'S  NEIGHBORS.  231 

But  I  made  the  girls  put  on  their  bathing- 
dresses,  and  then  took  them  out  and  tipped 
them  over,  so  that  they  would  know  just 
what  to  do." 

"  Thank  you  kindly.  As  I  have  not  my 
bathing-dress  on  to-day,  please  don't  give  me 
a  lesson  just  now." 

They  paddled  on  in  silence ;  the  two  had 
become  fast  friends  since  the  day  of  Madge's 
visit,  and  had  had  many  pleasant  paddles 
together.  Hildegarde  looked  about  her,  at 
peace  with  all  the  world.  Pollock's  Cove  was 
a  thousand  miles  away,  and  there  was  noth 
ing  to  break  the  spirit  of  peace  that  brooded 
over  the  water. 

Are  you  so  sure,  Hilda  ? 

The  girl's  face  was  set  toward  the  land ; 
she  saw  the  wooded  island  with  its  fringe  of 
silver  birches  standing  like  sentinels  to  guard 
the  water's  edge  ;  she  saw  the  lovely  tangle 
of  asters  and  golden-rod  that  gave  it  its  name 


232  HILDEGARDE'S  NEIGHBORS. 

of  Royal  Island,  and  the  strip  of  sand  on 
which  the  waves  were  lapping  gently;  but 
she  saw  nothing  of  the  west  behind  her. 

"  What  are  you  watching  so  earnestly, 
Captain?  "she  said  presently.  "No  boats,  I 
hope  ?  " 

"  No,  no  boats !  we  may  have  a  shower 
by-and-bye ;  but  I  hope  we  shall  get  home 
in  time." 

It  was  a  curious  sky  that  Roger  was  watch 
ing.  The  day  had  been  smoky  throughout, 
with  ragged  brown  clouds  hanging  about  the 
horizon,  and  thunder  muttering  low  in  the 
distance.  The  smoky  fringe  might  well 
come  from  the  forest  fires  which  were  raging 
in  a  neighbouring  district,  Roger  thought,  and 
the  thunder  was  an  e very-day  matter  of  hot 
weather ;  but  now  the  clouds  were  beginning 
to  thicken  at  one  point,  and  their  ragged 
edges  turned  to  firmer  roundings,  and  their 
hue  was  fast  deepening  to  black.  Roger 


HILDEGARDE'S  NEIGHBORS.  233 

paddled  with  strong,  even  strokes,  and  the 
canoe  flew  over  the  water.  The  distant 
thunder-growl  took  on  a  more  insistent  voice, 
and  every  now  and  then  came  a  long  rolling 
note,  which  seemed  to  pass  on  and  over  their 
heads. 

"  '  Hear  now  how  dey  roll  de  great  balls 
about/  "  quoted  Hildegarde.  "  If  we  were 
in  the  Catskills,  we  might  look  out  for 
Hendrik  Hudson  and  his  men,  after  such  a 
peal  as  that." 

"I  am  afraid  we  may  have  to  look  out 
for  ourselves ! "  said  Roger,  laughing.  "  I 
begin  to  feel  rather  doubtful  about  getting 
home  before  the  storm,  Miss  Hilda." 

"  It  is  growing  dark,  isn't  it  ?  "  said  Hilda, 
innocently.  "  Will  it  be  much  of  a  shower, 
do  you  think,  Captain?" 

"Well,  —  I  think  we  may  observe  slight 
alterations  in  the  atmospheric  conditions. 
You  are  not  afraid  of  a  squall  ?  " 


234  HILDEGARDE'S  NEIGHBORS. 

"  No,  indeed  !  only  tell  me  what  I  must  do." 

"  Nothing  but  sit  still  —  the  hardest  thing 
for  some  people  to  do  ;  but  I  have  noticed 
that  you  are  not  fidgety.  Is  your  hat 
securely  fastened  ?  " 

"  As  securely  as  rny  head  !  " 

"  That  is  well.  Stand  by,  then,  and  be 
ready,  for  it  is  coming  pretty  near." 

Roger  was  used  to  every  variety  of 
weather,  but  he  had  been  wholly  unprepared 
for  the  velocity  of  the  storm  which  was 
moving  down  the  lake.  The  clouds,  which, 
a  moment  before,  it  seemed,  had  been  merely 
a  thickening  of  the  general  smoky  condition, 
were  now  gathered  into  a  heavy  mass,  dense 
blackness  fringed  with  a  misty  gleam.  It 
came  sweeping  over  the  water  toward  them, 
devouring  the  sunlight.  A  rushing  sound 
was  heard,  that  rose  into  a  roar.  "  Steady, 
now !  "  said  Roger.  "  Steady,  child !  and 
don't  be  frightened.  Here  it  comes !  " 


HILDEGARDE'S  NEIGHBORS.  235 

Next  moment  they  were  struck,  beaten, 
blinded.  For  a  moment  Hildegarde  strug 
gled  for  breath,  so  furious  was  the  onset  of 
the  storm ;  she  crouched  low  in  the  canoe, 
but  remained  perfectly  still.  The  wind  tore 
at  them  as  if  with  frantic  hands  that  sought 
their  life;  the  water  hissed  under  them, 
raced  past  them  madly.  No  waves  could 
rise  under  the  raging  gale,  but  black  flaw 
after  flaw  flew  along  the  surface  of  the  lake. 
The  rain  fell  in  torrents ;  the  falling  streams 
were  caught  by  the  wind,  tossed  hither  and 
thither,  twisted  into  fantastic  shapes  of 
spray,  sent  flying  forward,  forward  with  the 
storm. 

No  glimpse  of  land  could  be  seen  now  ;  the 
night  was  around  them,  —  night  gone  mad, 
and  they  helpless  toys  in  its  grasp.  Help 
less  ?  No !  for  Roger's  strong  arm  kept  the 
tiny  boat  steady,  as  she  drove  before  the 
wind.  His  face  was  streaming  with  rain, 


236  HILDEGARDE'S  NEIGHBORS. 

his  fair  hair  tossed  wildly  over  his  brow,  but 
his  look  was  steadfast  as  ever,  and  now  and 
then  he  glanced  at  Hildegarde  and  smiled 
encouragement.  Bewildered  at  first,  Hilde 
garde  felt  no  fear,  and  presently,  seeing  the 
quiet  confidence  of  her  companion,  a  wild 
exhilaration  possessed  her.  She  had  read  of 
this  kind  of  thing ;  it  had  been  a  dream,  a 
picture  in  her  mind  always;  now  she  was 
wrapped  in  the  great  storm,  almost  a  part  of 
it,  borne  along  on  its  wings  like  the  birds 
that  beat  their  wings  past  her  upon  the  gale. 
The  lightning,  which  till  now  had  shaken 
quivering  lances  of  flame  across  the  black 
water,  a  flash,  then  darkness,  then  again  a 
flash,  now  became  continuous,  playing  in  lam 
bent  flames  amid  the  blackness,  lighting  up 
the  wild  turmoil  of  wind  and  wave  and  cloud. 
The  thunder  rolled  without  pause,  —  over 
head,  around,  beneath  them.  Crash  !  boom  ! 
crash !  And  all  the  while  the  water  hissed 


IT  WAS  A  BREATHLESS  STRUGGLE." 


HILDEGARDE'S  NEIGHBORS.  237 

past  them ;  all  the  while  the  wind  buffeted 
and  shook  them,  and  the  rain  lashed  their 
faces  with  stinging  whips.  The  frail  canoe 
quivered  like  a  living  thing  in  mortal  terror. 
What  would  be  the  end  ? 

The  end  came  soon  enough.  Hildegarde 
was  suddenly  brought  down  from  her  airy 
castle  of  storm-wrapped  bliss  by  hearing 
Roger's  voice,  high-pitched  to  carry  across 
the  uproar,  saying  with  calm  emphasis, 
"  Take  off  your  shoes  !  We  shall  very  likely 
go  over  when  we  round  this  point.  If  we  do, 
strike  out  at  once,  and  swim  till  I  get  hold  of 
you." 

Hildegarde  nodded,  and  pulled  off  her  low 
shoes ;  then  she  tried  to  think  how  it  would 
feel  to  be  flung  into  this  mad  water.  The 
next  moment  the  wind,  which  had  lulled  for 
an  instant,  —  or  had  it  only  recoiled  to  take 
a  fresh  spring  ?  —  the  wind  rushed  out  of  the 
darkness,  and  caught  the  canoe.  It  was  a 


238  HILDEGARDE'S  NEIGHBORS. 

breathless  struggle,  man  against  the  powers 
of  air  and  of  water.  Hilda  saw  the  powerful 
arms  braced  like  steel  to  meet  the  onset,  saw 
the  quiet  face  set  like  marble,  clenched  teeth 
and  frowning  brow,  —  and  saw  no  more,  for 
here  the  canoe,  having  borne  all  that  birch- 
bark  could  bear,  capsized,  and  the  girl  found 
herself  in  the  black  water. 

Down,  down,  down !  Was  she  going  to 
the  bottom  ?  She  struck  out  blindly,  as  she 
had  been  told,  trying  to  keep  her  thoughts 
together.  They  said  that  drowning  was 
pleasant ;  but  she  did  not  want  to  drown. 
Should  she  ever  be  able  to  breathe  again  ? 
Her  dress  clung  about  her  ankles,  the  water 
hummed  and  buzzed  in  her  ears,  in  her  nos 
trils  ;  but  still  she  swam  bravely.  Suddenly 
she  felt  a  strong  arm  thrown  round  her,  and 
in  another  moment  her  head  was  out  of 
water.  Oh,  the  blessed  air  of  heaven !  how 
she  drank  it  in,  in  deep,  gasping  breaths! 


HILDEGARDE'S  NEIGHBORS.  239 

Just  to  be  alive,  to  breathe,  was  happiness 
enough.  Roger  was  swimming  strongly  and 
steadily  with  one  arm,  holding  her  with  the 
other.  He  caught  the  paddle  in  his  teeth  as 
it  floated  by,  and  at  first  Hildegarde  could 
think  of  nothing  but  how  funny  he  looked, 
like  a  great  fair-haired  dog  swimming  about. 
He  had  righted  the  canoe,  and  now  flung 
the  paddle  into  it,  and  turned  to  Hildegarde. 
"  All  right  ?  Thank  Heaven  !  Take  hold  by 
the  bow,  and  I  will  tow  you  ashore." 

"  I  can  swim,"  said  Hildegarde.  "  I  am 
all  right,  truly.  Can't  I  swim  on  the  other 
side  and  help  her  along,  instead  of  hin 
dering  ? " 

"To  be  sure.  Hurrah  for  you !  " 
Hilda  grasped  the  canoe  with  her  left 
hand  and  tried  to  swim  with  her  right. 
She  could  do  little,  however,  against  the 
furious  battling  of  wind  and  wave ;  and 
Captain  Roger  set  his  teeth,  and  wondered 


240  HILDEGARDE'S  NEIGHBORS. 

whether  he  was  going  to  be  beaten  this 
time.  "  I  won't ! "  he  said  aloud  to  the 
storm ;  and  shook  his  head,  lion-like,  and 
braced  his  strong  shoulders,  and  swam  on 
grimly.  A  few  moments  of  silent,  breath 
less  fighting,  the  wind  screeching,  like  Bed 
lam  loose,  the  foam  driving  and  hissing, 
the  lightning  blazing,  incessant,  maddening. 
Could  they  reach  the  shore?  Hildegarde 
asked  herself.  Was  this  only  prolonging  the 
agony,  dragging  this  brave  man  to  death 
with  her,  on  her  account  ?  If  he  were  not 
hampered  with  her,  he  would  have  been 
safe  on  shore  before  this.  If  she  were  a 
girl  in  a  story-book,  she  would  loose  her 
hold  now,  and  sink  silently;  but  she  was 
not  a  girl  in  a  story-book.  She  was  a  very 
real  Hilda  Grahame,  and  she  did  not  want 
to  sink.  And  how  could  our  poor  Hilda 
know  that  the  Merryweather  obstinacy  was 
roused,  and  that  Koger  meant  to  save  her 


HILDEGARDE'S  NEIGHBORS.  241 

and  himself,  and  the  canoe,  too,  if  he  had 
to  swim  across  the  lake  to  do  it  ?  But  now 
she  heard  him  cry  out,  in  a  joyful  tone : 
"  Courage,  little  girl !  here  we  are,  all  right! " 

Next  moment,  —  oh,  joy !  oh,  wonder  past 
belief !  she  felt  the  ground  beneath  her 
feet.  She  was  walking,  standing  upright  on 
the  good,  solid,  blessed  earth.  The  canoe 
touched  bottom,  grazed,  floated  again,  then 
grounded  gently  and  was  still. 

"  Shake  yourself  as  well  as  you  can,"  said 
Roger,  "  while  I  haul  her  up.  So,  now  then  ! 
under  this,  and  here  we  are !  " 

In  the  turn  of  a  hand  he  hauled  the  canoe 
up  on  the  sand,  turned  it  over,  and  drew 
Hildegarde  beneath  the  shelter.  A  clump 
of  bushes  broke  the  force  of  the  wind,  so 
they  could  breathe  in  peace,  without  having 
to  fight  for  every  breath. 

For  a  few  minutes  they  sat  in  silence, 
panting,  dripping,  gazing  at  each  other  with 


242  HILDEGARDE'S  NEIGHBORS. 

dilated  eyes.  Their  thoughts  were  utterly 
irrelevant,  as  thoughts  are  apt  to  be  after 
a  great  crisis.  Roger  was  thinking  that  a 
pretty  face  looked  much  prettier  wet  than 
dry,  and  compared  apples  and  flowers ;  Hilde- 
garde  wondered  if  Saint  Bernard  dogs  could 
swim.  "  Because  Newfoundlands  are  black, 
you  know,"  she  found  herself  saying  aloud 
in  an  explanatory  tone. 

"  I  beg  your  pardon  !  "  said  Roger,  remorse- 
fully.  "I  —  I  am  afraid  you  are  very 
wet." 

Hildegarde  felt  that  she  must  either  cry 
or  laugh,  so  she  laughed.  "If  it  were  not 
for  you,  Captain,  I  should  not  be  alive  now. 
I  should  have  gone  down,  down,  —  and  the 
water  was  so  black.  Was  it  ever  anything 
but  black  in  that  place  ?  "  Her  voice  shook, 
but  she  pulled  herself  together  instantly. 
"  Why  do  you  look  troubled,  Captain  ? "  she 
asked.  "  The  island  is  solid,  isn't  it  ?  " 


HILDEGARDE'S  NEIGHBORS.  243 

"  You  are  so  wet!  "  said  Roger  again,  more 
ruefully  than  before. 

"  No  wetter  than  you !  "  said  Hilda,  with  a 
little  laugh.  Indeed,  they  were  both  stream 
ing  with  water,  and  looked  like  a  merman 
and  mermaid  very  much  out  of  their 
element. 

"  I  ?  Oh,  I  never  know  whether  I  am  wet 
or  dry.  But  it  is  different  for  you ;  you  will 
take  cold,  or  —  or  something,  won't  you  ? " 

"  You  are  afraid  I  shall  melt  ? "  asked 
Hildegarde.  She  stooped  down  and  gath 
ered  her  skirt  together,  wringing  little  floods 
of  water  from  it.  "  No,  I  don't  think  I  shall 
melt,  really,  Captain.  Do  I  look  as  if  I 
were  melting?" 

"  You  look  -  "  began  Roger,  and  stopped 
suddenly,  and  then  wondered  why  he 
stopped,  and  told  himself  he  was  an  ass. 

"  Speaking  of  melting,  reminds  me,"  he 
said,  laughing.  He  felt  in  his  pockets, 


244  HILDEGARDE'S  NEIGHBORS. 

and  produced  a  small  parcel.  "  I  hope  this 
is  not  melted.  No,  it  is  all  right.  Have 
some  chocolate,  and  let  us  make  merry  on 
our  desert  island !  See !  the  worst  of  the 
squall  is  over.  It  is  lightening  already;  I 
can  see  the  nearest  island." 

"  Yes,  and  the  water  begins  to  show  grey, 
instead  of  all  black  and  white.  But  has 
this  really  been  nothing  more  than  a  squall, 
Captain  Eoger?" 

"  Oh,  if  you  like  the  dignities  of  meteo 
rology,  I  think  we  might  very  properly  call 
this  a  tornado." 

"  A  tornado !  I  have  been  out  in  a  tor 
nado  !  And  how  splendid  it  all  is  !  " 

Koger  laughed  again.  "Splendid,  eh?  So 
it  is  !  Rather  good  fun,  too,  now  we  are  on 
dry  land." 

"  Glorious  fun  !  "  cried  Hildegarde. 

The  water  still  raced  past  at  their  feet ;  the 
rain  still  poured  down,  the  thunder  cracked 


HILDEGARDE'S  NEIGHBORS.  245 

and  roared  and  bellowed,  and  the  lightning 
blazed.  But  under  the  canoe  it  was  really 
quite  dry,  considering ;  and  the  chocolate 
was  excellent,  and,  on  the  whole,  both  Hilde- 
garde  and  Roger  thought  well  of  tornadoes. 

Meanwhile,  there  were  some  anxious  faces 
at  the  camp.  The  storm  had  broken  there 
as  suddenly  as  out  on  the  lake.  Bell  and 
Gertrude  were  out  fishing,  but  fortunately 
near  the  shore,  and  they  reached  home  just 
as  the  fury  broke  loose.  Obadiah  and  Fer 
guson  were  blown  in  on  the  gale,  turning 
handsprings  as  they  came,  and  singing 

"  Oh,  I'd  give  a  sight 
For  to  be  a  kite 
When  the  wind  is  howly-wowling  1 " 

Willy  and  Kitty  were  discovered,  after  a 
few  minutes'  anxious  search,  under  the  great 
apple-tree,  in  high  glee  because  it  was  rain 
ing  apples,  and  the  wind  would  mash  them, 
and  the  lightning  would  cook  them,  and 


246  HILDEGARDE'S  NEIGHBORS. 

there  was  no  need  of  coming  home  to  tea, 
with  apple-sauce  growing  on  every  tree. 
Being  hoisted  on  the  shoulders  of  the  twins, 
they  changed  their  point  of  view,  and  turn 
ing  into  Arabs  mounted  on  camels,  capered 
joyously  into  the  house,  to  escape  the  sand 
storm  of  the  desert.  Mr.  Merryweather, 
who  was  spending  a  day  or  two  in  camp, 
came  in  from  the  boathouse,  where  he  was 
tinkering  boats  as  usual.  The  whole  party 
sat  down,  wet  and  dishevelled,  and  drew 
breath  as  they  looked  at  each  other. 

"  Well,  this  is  a  visitation !  "  said  Mr. 
Merryweather.  "  Why  didn't  some  of  you 
tell  me  what  was  going  on  ? " 

"  None  of  us  knew  till  we  found  our  faces 
slapped  and  our  hair  pulled  out,"  said  Bell. 
"  This  is  a  surprise-party,  I  think,  got  up  for 
our  special  benefit." 

"  Are  we  all  here  ? "  asked  Mrs.  Merry- 
weather.  "Let  me  count!  One,  two,  three, 


HILDEGAKDE'S  NEIGHBORS.  247 

four,  five,  six,  and  you  and  I,  Miles,  make 
eight.  But  where  are  Roger  and  Hilda  ?  " 

"Out  in  the  Cheemaun!"  was  the  reply 
in  chorus.  There  was  a  general  exclamation 
of  dismay,  then  each  one  commented  in  his 
fashion. 

"  Cricky !  "  said  Phil.  «  The  Professor  will 
have  a  great  chance  for  meteoro-lolli-lolli- 
logical  observations,  won't  he?" 

"I  fear,  my  gentle  Roger, 
You'll  be  as  wet  as  Bodgerl" 

said  Gerald. 

"Who  is  Bodger?"  asked  little  Kitty. 

"  Bodger,  my  blessed  child,  was  a  stodger, 
and  a  codger,  and  a  very  artful  dodger;  he 
carried  his  bones  to  David  Jones,  and  asked 
to  be  took  as  a  lodger." 

"  Do  be  quiet,  Jerry !  "  said  Bell.  "  Father, 
can  the  canoe  stand  such  a  gale  as  this  ? " 

"And  Hilda  had  on  her  Best  Dress!" 
said  Kitty,  with  tragic  emphasis. 


248  HILDEGARDE'S  NEIGHBORS. 

"  Ho !  Hilda  doesn't  care  for  dresses  !  " 
said  Willy,  scornfully.  "  I  got  wheel-grease 
all  over  her  skirt,  the  other  day,  and  she 
didn't  say  a  word." 

"  I  do  feel  anxious,  Miles,"  said  Mrs. 
Merryweather.  "  This  is  an  awful  gale." 

"  Pooh !  pooh ! "  said  her  husband.  "  Roger 
knows  how  to  take  care  of  himself,  and 
Hilda  too.  Boys,  is  the  skiff  well  moored?" 

The  boys  knew  it  was,  but  thought  it 
would  be  well  to  see,  and  disappeared  by 
handsprings  into  the  darkness.  A  double 
splash,  followed  by  joyous  shouts,  announced 
their  arrival  on  and  departure  from  the 
wharf;  and  they  shortly  reappeared,  drip 
ping  and  gleeful. 

"Boys,  how  can  you!"  exclaimed  their 
mother.  "This  is  the  fifth  time  you  have 
been  in  to-day ;  besides,  I  have  just  tidied 
up  this  room.  Go  away  with  you,  and  drip 
in  the  tent." 


HILDEGARDE'S  NEIGHBORS.  249 

"  He  pushed  me  off,  and  I  pulled  him  in ! " 
said  Phil,  in  explanation.  "  Very  sorry,  shall 
not  occur  again." 

"  I  wanted  to  see  how  deep  the  water 
was,"  said  Gerald.  "  Very  important,  you 
know,  to  take  soundings  in  a  storm." 

"Still  more  important  to  quicken  the  cir 
culation  after  a  cold  bath,"  said  Mr.  Merry- 
weather,  taking  up  a  leather  strap  from  the 
table.  The  boys  shrieked,  and  vanished 
through  the  window  in  a  fine  harlequin  act. 

The  lightning  blazed  incessantly,  the  wind 
howled  and  roared  about  the  camp,  and  the 
thunder  pounded  and  smashed  the  clouds  over 
head.  Bell  and  her  mother  drew  closer  to 
gether,  and  Kitty  nestled  down  between  them, 
and  held  a  hand  of  each,  "to  keep  herself  safe." 

"If  the  lightning  strikes  the  camp,  what 
shall  we  do?"  asked  Willy. 

"  I  think  we  shall  be  very  likely  to  keep 
still!"  said  his  father,  dryly. 


250  HILDEGARDE'S  NEIGHBORS. 

"Miles,  how  can  you?"  said  Mrs.  Merry- 
weather.  "I  wonder  you  can  joke,  with  those 
two  children  out  in  the  canoe  in  this  horror!" 

"My  dear,  I  would  gladly  weep,  if  I 
thought  it  would  be  of  any  assistance  to 
Roger;  as  it  is,  I  rather  fancy  he  is  quite 
as  well  off  as  we  are,  if  not  bet — " 

Crack !  The  world  turned  to  blue  light, 
showing  a  ring  of  ghastly  faces,  looking 
terror  at  each  other;  then  the  sky  fell,  and 
all  was  night. 

"All  speak  who  are  unhurt!"  said  Mr. 
Merry  weather's  calm  voice;  and  no  one 
would  have  guessed  the  anguish  of  suspense 
in  which  he  waited  for  the  reply.  But  it 
came  in  a  chorus:  "Miranda!"  "Bell!" 
"Gertrude!"  "Will!"  "Kitty!" 

"Thank  God!"  said  Miles  Merry  weather. 
"That  was  a  close  call.  Boys,  are  you  all 
right?"  He  stepped  to  the  window  as  he 
spoke. 


HILDEGARDE'S  NEIGHBORS.  251 

"All  right,  father!  "  For  once  the  boys' 
voices  sounded  grave;  as  the  pall  of  dark 
ness  lifted,  they  entered,  very  pale,  and  hold 
ing  each  other  tightly  by  the  hand.  'The 
big  oak  is  struck !  "  they  said.  "  Shivered 
into  kindling-wood.  We  were  just  going  to 
climb  it,  to  look  at  the  storm." 

•<  We  don't  like  this  !  "  said  Gerald.  "  We 
feel  very  much  uncomfortable  inside  us,  and 
we  want  our  mother." 

And  sure  enough,  the  two  tall  fellows  sat 
down  on  the  floor  by  their  mother,  and  put 
their  heads  in  her  lap;  and  she  patted  the 
curly  heads,  and  talked  to  them  soothingly, 
and  forgot  that  they  were  not  still  her  little 
lads,  whom  she  had  rocked  in  her  arms 
together  many  and  many  a  time. 

4%  Your  nerves  are  upset,"  said  their  father. 
"  Always  the  case  when  a  stroke  comes  so 
near  as  that.  If  you  ever  feel  inclined  to 
climb  a  tree  in  a  thunderstorm  again,  just 


252  HILDEGARDE'S  NEIGHBORS. 

mention  it  to  me,  and  I  will  see  to  you." 
He  spoke  lightly,  but  he  took  occasion  to  pass 
near  the  boys,  and  laid  his  hand  on  them, 
as  if  to  make  sure  that  they  were  really 
there  and  safe,  and  rubbed  their  shoulders 
and  gave  them  a  little  affectionate  slap. 

For  a  while  they  sat  quiet,  for  all  were 
still  quivering  from  the  blow  that  had 
passed  so  near  them.  Gradually  the  fury  of 
the  storm  abated ;  the  lightning  ceased  to 
play  continuously,  and  though  each  separate 
flash  was  still  terribly  vivid,  yet  the  pauses 
between  gave  strength  and  refreshment  to 
the  wearied  eyes  and  nerves.  The  great 
shocks  of  thunder  rolled  heavily,  but  still 
farther  and  farther  away.  The  storm  was 
moving  off  across  the  lake,  and  one  thought 
was  in  the  hearts  of  all  —  the  birch  canoe. 
How  was  it  with  those  two,  alone  in  that 
frail  boat  in  the  wild  tempest  ?  It  seemed 
hours  that  they  sat  there,  waiting  and  listen- 


HILDEGARDE'S  NEIGHBORS.  253 

ing.  At  length  —  "  It  is  lighter  now,"  said 
Mr.  Merryweather.  "  Come,  boys,  let  us  go 
down  to  the  wharf,  and  see  what  we  can 
see.  Hark  !  what  was  that  ?  " 

For  a  moment  every  heart  stood  still. 
Then  Mrs.  Merryweather  began  to  cry,  and 
Bell  and  Gertrude  and  Kitty  all  fell  into 
her  arms  and  round  her  neck,  and  sobbed 
in  chorus  ;  but  the  boys  started  to  their 
feet  with  a  wild  "  Hurrah!  "  and  dashed  out 
of  the  house,  followed  by  their  father  and 
Willy.  For  now,  clearer  every  moment  and 
clearer,  came  ringing  across  the  water  the 
words  of  the  Skye  Boat  Song,  sung  by  joyous 
voices  of  a  youth  and  a  maiden. 

"  Speed,  bonny  boat,  like  a  bird  on  the  wing, 

Onward,  the  sailors  cry. 
Carry  the  lad  that's  born  to  be  king 
Over  the  sea  to  Skye." 

"  But  Roger  is  not  a  king ! "  said  Gerald, 
with  a  queer  little  break  in  his  voice.  "He 
is  only  a  codger !  " 


254  HILDEGARDE'S  NEIGHBORS. 


CHAPTER   XIV. 

ROGER   THE    CODGER. 

"  Miranda  !  "  said  Roger. 

"  Yes,  my  dear  brother  !  " 

"  Turn  te-tiddle-de-tum,  turn,  turn,  turn  !  " 

"  Yes,  my  dear  brother." 

"I  —  oh,  I  beg  your  pardon ;  that  isn't 
what  I  meant  to  say,  of  course.  A  —  the 
moon  is  in  perigee  now,  you  know." 

"  Roger,"  said  his  sister-in-law,  looking  up 
from  her  sewing,  "you  know  there  is  no 
earthly  use  in  saying  that  kind  of  thing  to 
me.  '  Perigee  '  suggests  nothing  to  me  but 
periwig,  and  it  is  painful  to  think  of  the 
moon  in  so  unbecoming  a  head-gear.  Are 
you  quite  sure  that  that  was  what  you  were 
going  to  say?" 


HILDEGARDE'S  NEIGHBORS.  255 

Roger  laughed,  looked  a  little  confused, 
and  threw  stones  into  the  water ;  Mrs. 
Merry  weather  sewed  on  buttons  and  waited. 

"  I  shall  be  twenty-five  next  week,"  was 
the  professor's  next  remark.  "I  —  a  —  I  am 
getting  to  be  quite  an  old  fogy." 

"  Your  teeth  and  digestion  are  still  good," 
said  his  sister-in-law,  with  provoking  com 
posure  ;  "  and  you  are  able  —  generally  speak 
ing  —  to  get  about  without  a  stick." 

"  Pshaw !  "  said  Roger.  He  laughed  again, 
and  threw  out  his  powerful  arms.  He  was 
lying  at  full  length  on  the  verandah,  his  hand 
some  head  propped  against  one  of  the  pillars, 
framed  in  a  mass  of  woodbine  and  trumpet- 
vine.  Mrs.  Merryweather  looked  at  him,  and 
thought  that  with  the  exception  of  her  Miles 
and  her  boys,  she  had  never  seen  a  finer-looking 
fellow.  Every  line  of  the  lithe,  elastic  figure 
was  instinct  with  power ;  the  face,  from  the 
broad  upright  brow  to  the  firm  chin,  was 


256  HILDEGARDE'S  NEIGHBORS. 

alight  with  thought  and  intelligence.  But 
the  blue  eyes,  usually  so  clear  in  their  grave 
gaze,  held  a  shadow  to-day,  a  curious  look  of 
shyness,  one  might  almost  say  shamefaced- 
ness.  Mrs.  Merry  weather  gazed  at  him,  and 
thought  her  own  thoughts,  but  she  knew  her 
husband's  family,  and  held  her  peace. 

"  That  is  a  very  lovely  girl,  Miranda ! " 
was  the  Professor's  next  remark. 

"  Meaning  Gertrude  —  ?"  said  this  wicked 
woman,  innocently. 

"  Oh,  —  I  mean  Hilda,  of  course  !  She  is 
remarkably  intelligent,  don't  you  think  so  ? " 

Mrs.  Merry  weather  assented  warmly,  and 
added  praises  of  her  own.  Hildegarde's 
little  ears  would  surely  have  burned  if  she 
could  have  heard  the  good  lady.  As  for 
Roger,  he  listened  with  great  complacency. 

"  Yes  !  "  he  said.  "  She  is  sympathetic,  and 
unselfish,  —  remarkably  so,  it  seems  to  me ; 
and  —  and  she  takes  an  interest  in  things,  — 


HILDEGARDE'S  NEIGHBORS.  257 

I  mean  real  things,  such  as  girls  usually  care 
nothing  about." 

"  Perigees,  for  example/'  said  his  sister-in- 
law. 

"  Well,"  said  Roger,  laughing,  "  yes,  I  sup 
pose  I  do  mean  perigees,  and  that  kind  of 
thing.  They  are  not  in  your  line,  Miranda, 
I  know." 

"Oh,  but  I  respect  them!"  said  Mrs. 
Merryweather.  "There  is  nothing  I  respect 
more  highly  than  a  perigee,  unless  it  be  an 
apogee,  which  always  sounds  like  the  begin 
ning  of  an  incantation.  So  Hilda  likes  them, 
does  she  ?  " 

"  Of  course,"  said  Roger,  slowly ,  skipping 
stones  over  the  pond  with  thoughtful  accu 
racy  ;  "  she  has  never  studied  any  of  these 
things,  but  she  has  really  an  astonishing 
aptitude  for  them.  And  her  hand  is  so 
steady,  and  she  has  such  a  true  eye." 

"Was  that  why  you  kept  her  sitting  on 


258  HILDEGARDE'S  NEIGHBORS. 

a  rock,  waving  a  towel,  for  three  mortal 
hours,  yesterday  morning?"  asked  his  sister- 
in-law,  dryly. 

Roger  turned  scarlet. 

"Was  it  so  long?"  he  said.  "I  didn't 
know  —  I  never  noticed.  I  —  was  taking 
observations,  you  know,  and  she  seemed  so 
—  did  she  say  she  was  tired  ?  Was  I  a 
brute  ?  Of  course  I  was  !  " 

"Don't  go  off  at  a  tangent,  or  whatever 
you  call  the  thing !  "  said  Mrs.  Merry- 
weather.  "  She  said  she  had  had  a  most 
delightful  morning,  and  that  waving  a  towel 
had  been  her  favourite  amusement  from  baby 
hood." 

Roger  looked  wistfully  at  his  sister-in-law. 
They  were  genuinely  fond  of  each  other,  but 
they  spoke  different  languages,  and  he  some 
times  found  it  difficult  to  follow  her  turns  of 
speech.  He  was  silent  for  a  few  minutes, 
absorbed  in  calculating  the  curves  of  his 


HILDEGARDE'S  NEIGHBORS.  259 

stones,  which  really  skimmed  in  an  aston 
ishing  manner. 

"  I  suppose/'  he  said,  presently,  watch 
ing  a  particularly  adventurous  pebble,  "  I 
suppose,  Miranda,  that  I  must  seem  —  well 
-quite  an  old  fellow,  to  such  a  young 
creature  as  that  ?  " 

Mrs.  Merry  weather  had  a  quizzical  reply 
on  the  tip  of  her  tongue,  but  glancing  at 
Roger's  face,  thought  better  of  it,  and 
merely  said,  "My  dear  boy,  don't  be 
absurd !  " 

"  I  don't  mean  to  be  absurd,"  said  Roger, 
sitting  upright,  and  forgetting  his  pebbles. 
"  But  —  well,  I  am  a  kind  of  grandfather  to 
all  the  children,  you  know,  and  she  would 
naturally — eh?  regard  me  in  the  same  light. 
That  —  a  —  that  seems  perfectly  reasonable, 
doesn't  it?" 

Mrs.  Merry  weather  made  no  reply.  Roger 
followed  the  direction  of  her  eyes,  and  saw 


260  HILDEGARDE'S  NEIGHBORS. 

Hildegarde  and  Gerald  coming  up  from  the 
wharf.  Hildegarde  had  been  drying  her  hair 
after  the  daily  swim,  and  it  hung  in  long 
locks  over  her  shoulders ;  the  tall  boy  was 
bending  over  her,  pleading  earnestly  for 
something. 

"  Just  a  little  bit !  "  he  said,  as  they  came 
within  hearing.  "  Oh,  I  say,  Miss  Hilda, 
just  a  scrap.  You  have  such  lots,  you 
never  would  miss  it.  Just  a  little  lock  of 
hair !  " 

Roger  Merryweather's  face  grew  very 
grave.  He  did  not  move,  but  his  grasp 
tightened  on  the  pebble  in  his  hand. 

"What  do  you  want  of  it?"  said  down 
right  Hilda,  laughing  and  tossing  her  tawny 
mane.  Mrs.  Merry  weather  listened  for  the 
faintest  shade  of  coquetry  in  the  girl's  tone, 
found  none,  and  listened  on,  well  content. 

"What  do  I  want  of  it?"  cried  Gerald. 
"  What  a  question  !  — 


HILDEGARDE'S  NEIGHBORS.  261 

"  O  Hilda,  fair  beyond  compare  ! 
I'll  make  a  garland  of  thy  hair, 
Shall  twine  my  heart  forevermair, 
Until  the  day  1  dee !  " 

"  Very  proper  !  "  said  Hilda.  "  I  am  glad 
to  find  that  you  know  your  ballads.  What 
else  will  you  do  with  it,  for  example  ?  " 

"  Wi'  ae  lock  o'  thy  yellow  hair 
I'll  theek  my  nest  when  it  grows  bare !  " 

Gerald  went  on.  "  The  excelsior  is  coming 
out  of  my  mattress,  and  I  thought  — ' 

"  I  can't  spare  enough  for  that,"  said 
Hildegarde.  "  Any  other  uses  for  my  poor 
hair  ?  " 

"  The  Mater  has  a  single  hair  of  George 
Washington's,  done  up  in  a  gold  snuffbox," 
cried  the  boy.  "  If  you'll  give  me  two,  I  will 
hunt  up  a  snuffbox.  There's  a  fine  old  stingo 
in  the  Chemical  Works  who  takes  snuff,  and 
I  will  get  his,  and  give  him  a  tomato  can 
instead,  and  keep  one  hair  in  that." 


262  HILDEGARDE'S  NEIGHBORS. 

"  And  the  other  ?  "  Hilda  persisted,  taking 
the  long  tresses  in  her  hand,  and  running 
them  through  her  fingers  in  a  tantalizing 
manner,  —  "  the  other  hair,  Master  Obadiah  ? " 

"  Oh,  dear  !  what  a  persistent  thing  a  girl 
is  !  I  —  must  you  really  know  ?  Because 
you  mightn't  like  it,  if  I  told  you  the  truth." 
The  ingenuous  youth  here  turned  a  somer 
sault,  and  coming  up  on  one  knee,  remained 
in  an  attitude  of  supplication,  clasping  his 
hands  imploringly.  Hilda  laughed,  but  still 
caressed  her  locks,  unmoved. 

"  The  other  hair  !  "  she  said. 

"Well,  if  you  must  know,  I  want  to  make 
a  new  kind  of  fly  for  the  bass.  They  aren't 
biting  at  all,  and  your  hair  is  just  the  colour, 
to  a  shade.  There  !  that  is  the  terewth.  Do 
you  mind  ?  " 

"  Mind,  you  foolish  boy  ?  You  might  have 
had  your  fly  made  by  this  time.  Here,  give 
me  your  knife  !  " 


HILDEGARDE'S  NEIGHBORS.  263 

She  stood  still,  and  severed  a  long,  fair 
tress,  which  she  laid  in  Gerald's  hand. 

"  There  !  that  will  make  a  whole  swarm  of 
flies ;  and  if  there  is  any  left  over,  you  can 
theek  your  nest  with  it." 

At  this  moment  she  looked  up  and  saw  the 
Professor  sitting  on  the  verandah,  watching 
her.  Her  face  lighted  up  with  the  brightest 
smile,  Roger  thought,  that  he  had  ever  seen, 
and  she  hastened  forward. 

"  Oh,  Captain !  I  was  afraid  I  was  too 
late.  Aren't  you  going  to  take  observa 
tions  this  morning?  And  mayn't  I  go  too? 
Here  is  my  towel,  all  ready." 

Gerald  clapped  his  hand  to  his  face,  with 
an  exclamation  of  acute  pain. 

"  My  dear  boy,  what  is  the  matter?"  cried 
his  mother  and  Hildegarde  in  one  breath. 

"It  is  —  nothing!  "  gasped  the  boy,  sitting 
down  on  the  edge  of  the  verandah.  "  Where 
is  the  glue?" 


264  HILDEGARDE'S  NEIGHBORS. 

"The  glue!"  repeated  Hilda. 

"Le  Page's  glue!  My  nose  has  become 
disjointed,  and  I  would  fain  repair  it.  I 
am  suffering  excruciating  torments  ;  but  don't 
mind  me.  Go  on  your  towelled  and  trium 
phant  way,  and  leave  the  noseless  wretch 
to  pine  alone!  " 

"  And  make  his  flies !  "  said  Hilda.  "  You 
miserable  boy,  you  really  took  me  in.  Good- 
by,  dear  madam ;  I  will  get  Bell,  and  we 
will  surely  be  home  in  time  for  dinner  this 
time.  Won't  we,  Captain?"  But  the  Cap 
tain  did  not  commit  himself. 

"  Mater,"  said  Gerald,  watching  the  two 
as  they  walked  away  together,  "  do  you 
think  —  " 

"  Not  often !  "  said  his  mother.  "  It  is  a 
dangerous  occupation." 

"True!"  said  Gerald.  "Well,  if  I 
mustn't  think,  \vliere  is  Phil?" 


HILDEGARDE'S  NEIGHBORS.  265 


CHAPTER   XV. 

A   MORNING    HOUR. 

IT  is  morning  in  the  Lonely  Cove.  Before 
and  around  lies  a  broad  stretch  of  glimmer 
ing  water,  dotted  here  and  there  with  great 
u tumps,  and  lined  about  the  shore  with  dead 
trees.  Dams  built  in  the  river  beyond  have 
raised  the  level  of  the  lake,  and  hundreds 
of  trees  have  died. 

On  every  side  is  a  network  of  gnarled 
and  knotted  roots.  The  black  limbs  grapple 
with  each  other;  here  one  has  dragged  his 
neighbour  over,  and  he  lies  with  arms  out 
stretched,  writhen  into  antic  twists  and 
curves,  as  if  he  had  died  in  torment ;  there, 
in  singular  contrast,  are  two  friends,  —  oaks, 


266  HILDEGARDE'S  NEIGHBORS. 

were  they  once  ?  —  who  have  fallen  into 
one  another's  arms,  and,  dead,  seem  still 
to  embrace  and  uphold  each  other  tenderly. 

Here  again  are  stumps  that  gleam  like 
gray  silver,  bare  and  polished,  worn  by 
storms  and  winds.  The  shining  water  is 
clear,  and  one  sees  the  bottom  covered  with 
particles  of  wood,  chipped  from  the  rotting 
trees,  preserved  by  the  water  from  further 
decay. 

Through  this  silent  water  glides  the  Ghee- 
maun,  Hilda  in  the  bow  —  where  is  Hilda 
so  happy  as  in  the  birch  canoe  ?  —  Roger 
paddling  in  the  stern.  As  the  paddle  dips, 
bubbles  rise  and  burst,  large  and  round. 
Behind,  the  dark  woods  curve  in  a  lovely 
line ;  between  wood  and  water,  spread  like 
a  bed  for  the  dead  and  dying  trees,  a  swamp, 
bright  with  rushes  and  water-weed. 

On  the  crest  of  a  snow-white  birch  sits  a 
great  fish-hawk,  with  bent  head  and  closed 


HILDEGARDE'S  NEIGHBORS.  267 

wings.  What  is  the  hunter  dreaming  of  ? 
Hours  of  sport,  most  likely;  long  pauses  on 
balanced  wings,  the  arrowy  downward  sweep, 
the  swift  plunge,  and  the  triumph  of  the  up 
ward  plunge,  dripping  and  proud,  bearing  his 
prey  aloft. 

Some  real  or  fancied  noise  disturbs  the 
vision ;  he  rises,  spreads  the  wide,  hollow 
wings,  and  flaps  slowly  away.  Roused  by 
his  flight,  half  a  dozen  crows  burst  suddenly 
into  talk,  and  protest  violently  against  some 
deadly  injury,  then  as  suddenly  fall  silent 
again. 

Whirr !  a  kingfisher  darts  down  with  a 
quick  splash,  and  back  to  his  bough  with  a 
fish  in  his  beak.  The  canoe  moves  on, 
slowly,  noiselessly ;  here  the  water  is  only 
three  inches  deep,  but  the  soft  bottom  yields 
as  the  strong  young  arms  ply  the  paddle. 

Hilda  lifts  her  hand  with  a  warning  ges 
ture,  and  they  are  motionless  once  more. 


268  HILDEGARDE'S  NEIGHBORS. 

Look !  not  fifty  yards  away,  a  group  of 
pretty  birds  play  and  paddle  in  the  shallow 
water.  Sandpipers,  are  they  ?  They  might 
be  enchanted  princesses,  Hilda  thinks,  as 
they  go  mincing  along,  turning  their  heads 
now  to  this  side,  now  to  that,  admiring  them 
selves  in  the  clear  water.  One  of  them  finds 
a  bit  of  succulent  weed,  and  the  others  come 
running,  for  all  the  world  like  curious  girls, 
ruffling  their  pretty  feathers,  cocking  their 
pretty  heads ;  and  they  peck,  and  chatter, 
and  peck  again,  wholly  unconscious  of  the 
two  monsters  who  are  drifting  nearer  and 
nearer.  Suddenly  one  of  them  catches  sight 
of  a  moving  shadow,  hears  some  faint  lapping 
of  water  against  the  side  of  the  canoe,  inaudi 
ble  to  ears  less  fine  ;  and  the  three  princesses 
are  up  and  away,  fluttering,  hopping,  fairly 
flying  at  last,  to  hide  themselves  in  the  deeps 
of  the  bog-land. 

Neither  of  the  two  had  spoken  during  all 


HILDEGARDE'S  NEIGHBORS.  269 

this  time.  Both  felt  the  magic  of  the  place 
so  strong  upon  them  that  speech  seemed  prof 
anation.  The  flight  of  the  little  birds,  how 
ever,  loosened  the  spell.  Hildegarde  spoke, 
but  softly,  almost  under  her  breath.  "  Cap 
tain  !  Do  you  see  the  lizard  ?  Look  at  him, 
on  the  log  there !  The  greenness  of  him ! 
soul  of  an  emerald  !  " 

"  I  was  looking  at  the  fish,"  said  Roger. 

"What  for  a  fish?"  Hilda  leaned  over 
the  side,  and  looked  into  the  clear  shallow 
water.  A  bream  was  hovering  over  her 
wide,  shallow  nest,  fanning  the  water  slowly 
with  wide-spread  wings.  "Why  does  she  do 
that?" 

"  To  protect  the  eggs ;  they  are  there  in 
the  sand,  and  she  is  keeping  off  all  the  water- 
people  who  like  eggs  for  breakfast." 

They  drifted  on  again  in  silence :  what 
was  there  good  enough  to  say  in  such  a 
place  ? 


270  HILDEGARDE'S  NEIGHBORS. 

Hildegarde  pulled  the  transparent  stems 
of  jewel-weed,  with  their  glowing,  pitcher- 
shaped  blossoms,  and  twined  them  into  a 
garland,  which  she  hung  over  the  bow  of 
the  canoe.  "Dear  Cheemaun ! "  she  said. 
"  She  shall  be  decorated  as  Hiawatha's  was. 
She  deserves  to  be  hung  with  real  jewels." 

"Are  there  any  more  real  than  these?" 
said  Roger.  "  And  —  you  really  like  the 
Cheemaun,  do  you,  Miss  Hilda  ?  and  the 
place  ?  I  thought  you  would  like  the  place." 

"  Oh ! "  said  Hilda,  and  her  voice  said 
enough.  "How  did  you  find  it?  How 
strange  that  I  have  never  heard  of  it  before ! 
There  is  nothing  so  beautiful  in  the  world,  I 
a  111  sure  !  Have  the  others  been  here  ?  " 

"N  —  no,"  answered  Roger,  slowly.  "I 
don't  think  they  have  been  here.  I  —  I 
found  it  one  morning,  when  I  was  shooting, 
two  or  three  years  ago ;  and  I  am  afraid 
I  have  been  greedy,  and  kept  it  to  myself." 


HILDEGARDE'S  NEIGHBORS.  271 

"  How  good  of  you  to  bring  me !  "  cried 
Hilda.  "  I  like  it  all  the  better  because  no 
one  —  that  is,  because  it  is  so  lonely  and 
still.  You  —  you  don't  shoot  now  much,  do 
you,  Captain  Roger?" 

"  No.  I  used  to  be  very  fond  of  it  when 
I  was  a  boy ;  but  now,  well,  I  would  rather 
see  them  alive,  don't  you  know  ? " 

Hildegarde  nodded  her  wise  little  head, 
and  knew  very  well  indeed,  and  thought 
the  Captain  was  very  right. 

"  I  do  not  see  how  a  sportsman  can  really 
love  creatures,"  she  said.  "If  you  love 
them,  you  want  them  to  live,  as  you  say. 
Oh !  oh,  Captain  Roger,  please  quickly  stop ! 
Look  !  What  wonder  is  this  ?  " 

Hilda's  voice  sank  to  a  whisper,  thrilled 
with  excitement.  There,  a  few  yards  away 
from  them,  ashen  grey  against  the  silver- 
grey  of  a  dead  tree,  was  a  great  bird.  To 
Hilda's  excited  fancy,  it  seemed  the  spirit 


272  HILDEGARDE'S  NEIGHBORS. 

of  the  place,  changed  by  some  wizardry  into 
bird  form,  crouching  there  amid  the  ruins 
of  the  forest  where  once  it  had  flitted  and 
frolicked,  a  gauze- winged  sprite. 

Roger,  less  imaginative,  and  more  skilled 
in  wood-lore,  saw  a  great  blue  heron,  sitting 
huddled  together  on  a  stump,  its  head  drawn 
in,  its  yellow  eyes  glaring  wild  with  fright. 

"  It  must  be  wounded ! "  he  said  softly. 
"Keep  very  still,  and  I  will  see  if  we  can 


come  nearer." 


Softly,  slowly,  the  birch  canoe  stole 
through  the  water.  It  scarcely  seemed  to 
move,  yet  every  moment  brought  them 
nearer  to  the  wild  creature  of  the  woods. 
It  made  no  attempt  to  fly,  only  crouched 
lower,  and  tried  to  flatten  itself  against  the 
stump. 

"  Oh,  poor,  poor  thing !  "  whispered  Hilda. 
"  Can  you  do  anything  for  it,  Captain  Roger?" 

"  Only    one    thing,   I    fear,"    said   Roger, 


HILDEGARDE'S  NEIGHBORS.  273 

gently.  "  Its  leg  is  broken,  and  we  must  not 
leave  it  in  misery." 

"  You  must  kill  it  ?  Oh,  it  seems  too  piti 
ful  !  No,  I  am  not  going  to  be  silly,  only  I  will 
turn  my  head  away,  please,  Captain  Roger." 

Now  she  could  have  put  her  hand  on  the 
wounded  bird,  as  it  sat  motionless,  only  the 
wide  eyes  of  terror  telling  that  it  was  alive. 
The  bow  of  the  boat  passed  close  against 
the  log,  and  on  beyond.  Hilda  thought  she 
should  never  forget  the  dumb  agony  of 
those  eyes.  They  should  not  be  here  at  all, 
she  thought.  It  was  not  decent  for  human 
beings  to  thrust  themselves  into  the  sorrows 
and  mysteries  of  the  woods  and  water.  She 
could  not  — 

Roger  leaned  forward,  paddle  in  hand ;  a 
moment,  and  all  was  over.  Something  slid 
into  the  water,  and  there  was  a  little  plash 
ing  murmur  among  the  reeds;  then  stillness 
again, 


274          HILDEGARDE'S  NEIGHBORS. 

The  canoe  began  to  move  backward,  and 
Hilda  opened  her  eyes,  which  had  been 
tightly  closed.  Neither  of  the  two  spoke 
until  they  were  in  open  water  again,  and  the 
swamp  left  behind. 

"  I  am  sorry ! "  said  Roger  then,  almost 
apologetically.  "  I  am  sorry  that  happened. 
The  poor  creature  had  been  shot,  and  was 
badly  wounded ;  it  would  only  have  lingered 
in  pain." 

"  Oh  yes,  I  know ;  I  am  so  glad  you  were 
there,  to  help  it  out  of  the  suffering." 

"  But  now  you  will  never  want  to  come 
here  again,  I  fear." 

"  Oh,  but  I  shall !  "  cried  Hilda.  "  I  am 
not  so  silly  as  that,  truly  I  am  not.  I  shall 
always  think  of  this  as  the  loveliest  place  I 
know  ;  and  —  " 

«  Well,  and  —  what  ?  "  asked  Roger. 

"Oh,  nothing!  Only  —  well,  it  is  your 
own  place,"  said  Hilda  frankly,  "  and  I  shall 


HILDEGARDE'S  NEIGHBORS.  275 

always  think  of  you  here,  in  the  dear  Chee- 
maun,  with  the  enchanted  princesses--! 
mean  the  sandpipers  —  and  the  fish-hawk, 
and  all  the  rest  of  it." 

"If  it  is  mine,  I  may  do  what  I  like  with 
it,  and  I  give  it  to  you.  Will  you  have  it  ? " 

u  Oh,  we  will  share  it  together  !  "  cried 
Hilda  eagerly ;  and  then  bethought  herself, 
and  blushed  in  her  usual  ridiculous  way,  and 
wondered  if  the  back  of  her  neck  were  blush 
ing  too.  It  was,  and  Roger  saw  the  crimson 
mounting  to  the  pretty  ears  and  losing  itself 
in  the  fair  hair ;  and  he  wondered  —  and 
wondered  again,  and  then  remembered  that 
people  sometimes  blushed  when  they  were 
angry.  He  was  a  very,  very  stupid  Roger, 
in  some  ways  ;  but  in  a  moment  Hilda  began 
to  talk  as  cheerfully  as  possible,  and  to  ask 
about  all  the  birds  they  had  seen,  so  Roger  was 
relieved,  and  they  paddled  home  to  breakfast 
in  a  very  pleasant  way. 


276  HJLLDEGARDE'S  NEIGHBORS. 


CHAPTER   XVI. 

GOOD-BY. 

THE  golden  morning  passed  all  too  quickly ; 
the  mornings  always  did,  out  at  camp.  There 
was  the  merry  dish-washing,  the  sweeping 
and  setting  to  rights,  and  then  all  separated  to 
their  different  tasks,  —  fishing,  boat-mending, 
cooking,  photographing  or  surveying,  till  the 
hour  of  noon  brought  them  together  again  for 
the  swimming.  Roger  departed  on  his  wheel, 
having  business  in  the  village. 

The  three  girls  sat  down  before  a  huge 
basket  of  mending,  "  Three  against  Thebes," 
as  Bell  said,  and  plied  their  needles  diligently. 
Hildegarde  felt  as  if  she  were  sewing  in  a 
dream ;  her  fingers  flew,  for  she  could  almost 
sew  in  her  sleep,  but  her  thoughts  were  away 


HILDEGARDE'S  NEIGHBORS.  277 

in  the  Lonely  Cove,  with  the  wild  creatures 
and  the  stillness.  She  would  like  to  go  back 
there,  she  thought,  with  —  well,  she  would 
like  to  go  back  there,  and  stay,  long  hours, 
till  the  spirit  of  the  place  had  sunk  deep  into 
her  heart.  She  had  felt  it,  the  touch  of  its 
hand  in  passing,  the  brushing  of  its  robe,  but 
that  only  showed  her  how  little  she  knew, 
how  infinitely  more  there  was  to  learn,  to  see, 
to  love.  She  shut  her  eyes  and  tried  to  call 
back  the  scene,  all  grey  and  silver,  glimmer 
ing  in  the  faint  early  light. 

Was  not  this  really  life,  the  life  of  nature, 
of  the  woods  and  fields  ?  Would  not  one 
grow  better,  purer,  to  stay  always  in  this 
lovely  wilderness,  where  every  leaf  had  a 
voice,  every  stone  showed  forth  its  steadfast 
lesson,  every  morning  and  evening  was  full 
of  joy  and  peace  ?  Why  should  one  ever  go 
back  to  places  where  people  talked  and 
gossiped  and  made  formal  calls  ? 


278  HILDEGARDE'S  NEIGHBORS. 

Such  new  worlds,  too,  were  opening  before 
her  !  Not  only  this  great  one  of  nature,  but 
the  sister  world  of  science,  which  till  now  had 
been  only  a  name.  She  had  always  thought 
of  "  scientific  people  "  much  as  she  would  of 
the  inhabitants  of  Mars,  never  having  been 
thrown  with  any  in  this  short  life,  which 
seemed  to  her  so  long,  so  full.  As  she  said 
to  her  friend  here,  she  had  had  many  lives 
already,  all  beautiful,  joyful  beyond  measure ; 
but  this  strange  world,  where  they  spoke  a 
language  of  their  own,  where  all  the  men 
wore  spectacles  and  long  beards,  and  all  the 
women  short  hair  and  spectacles,  —  this  world 
she  had  never  thought  even  to  peep  into. 
And  now  —  behold  !  the  magic  door  had  been 
opened  by  friendly  hands ;  opened  only  a 
little  way,  it  was  true,  but  wide  enough  for 
her  to  see  at  least  beyond  the  threshold, — 
and  it  was  fairy-land  !  As  for  the  long 
beards  and  the  spectacles,  —  Hildegarde 


HILDEGARDE'S  NEIGHBORS.  279 

laughed    to    herself,    a    little    soft,     happy 
laugh. 

Gerald,  who  was  lying  at  her  feet,  looked 
up,  and  laughed  too,  for  pure  good-will. 

"Good  joke!"  he  said;  "excellent  joke! 
See  here,  Miss  Hilda  — ' 

"  Do  leave  off  that  tiresome  '  Miss,'  Jerry  I 
You  know  I  told  you  to,  ages  ago." 

"  I  know  !  but  my  manners  are  so  super 
lative.  Well,  Hilda,  then,  just  listen  to  this ! 
I  have  been  improving  a  little  on  one  of 
your  old  ballads  —  " 

"  Improving  ?  sacrilegious  wretch  ! 

"  Oh,  but  listen!  Why  should  a  ballad  be  too 
old  to  be  improved  ?  This  goes  beautifully. 

"  Our  lads  are  to  the  fishing  gane, 
A-fishing  with  a  line  and  float, 
And  they  hae  grippet  Hilda  the  Grahame, 
For  stealing  o'  the  Codger's  boat." 

"I  didn't  steal  it!"  cried  Hilda,  aiming  a 
neatly  folded  stocking-ball  at  the  boy's  head ; 
but  Gerald  avoided  it,  and  went  on. 


280  HILDEGARDE'S  NEIGHBORS. 

"  And  they  hae  tied  her  hand  and  foot, 

And  brought  her  to  the  camp,  wuss  luck ! 
The  lads  and  lasses  met  her  there, 

Cried  '  Hilda  Grahame,  thou  art  a  duck ! ' " 

"  Obadiah,  you  are  a  very  impudent  boy. 
Wait  till  Monday  week,  that's  all !  But  go 
on ;  let  me  hear  all  this  villainy." 

"  Up  then  spake  the  brave  Gerald, 
As  he  sat  by  the  Codger's  knee, 
'  Fifteen  horned  pouts  I'll  give  to  you, 
If  you'll  let  Hilda  the  Grahame  go  free.' 

"'Oh  haud  your  tongue,'  says  Roger  the  Codger, 

*  And  wie  your  pleading  let  me  be ; 
For  though— '" 

"  Hallo !  " 

"What  is  the  matter?"  asked  Bell,  who 
had  been  listening  with  high  approval  to  the 
ballad. 

"Why,  here  is  the  Codger  himself,  back 
again.  I  thought  he  was  not  coming  till 
night.  What's  up,  Codger?" 

Bell   and   Hildegarde   rose,  with   a   vague 


HILDEGARDE'S  NEIGHBORS.  281 

feeling  of  uneasiness,  and  as  they  did  so, 
Roger  advanced  to  meet  them.  Hilda  fan 
cied  he  looked  grave,  and  her  heart  leaped 
into  quick  alarm.  "  You  have  no  bad  news, 
Captain  Roger?'''  she  cried.  "My  mother  — 
Cousin  Wealthy  —  !  " 

"  Both  well,  quite  well  ! "  said  Roger, 
hastily.  "  I  called  at  the  house  as  I  came 
by,  and  found  Mrs.  Grahame  there,  looking 
extremely  well,  I  thought." 

"  Mamma  there  !  "  cried  Hilda.  "  Why  - 
when  did  she  come?  Why  did  she  not  write 
that  she  was  coming  ?  I  ought  to  have  been 
there  to  meet  her.  You  are  sure  you  have 
nothing  bad  to  tell  me,  Captain  Roger  ?  You 
looked  so  grave  as  you  came  up.  I  would 
rather  know  at  once,  please,  if  anything  is 
wrong*" 

Roger  smiled,  and  his  honest  eyes  reas 
sured  the  startled  girl. 

"  You  may  believe   me/'  he   said,  simply. 


282  HILDEGARDE'S  NEIGHBORS. 

"  If  I  looked  grave,  it  was  not  on  your  ac 
count,  Miss  Hilda,  but  on  our  own.  A  letter 
must  have  gone  astray,  your  mother  thinks. 
You  should  have  heard  from  her  several 
days  ago ;  and  —  and  she  is  expecting  visit 
ors  to-morrow,  and  —  well,  if  I  must  tell 
the  truth,  the  carriage  is  here,  and  I  am  to 
drive  you  home  as  soon  as  you  are  ready." 
A  cry  of  dismay  broke  from  the  lips  of 
the  whole  family ;  a  cry  so  hearty,  so  full 
of  distress,  of  affectionate  concern,  that  it 
brought  the  quick  tears  to  Hilda's  eyes. 
She  smiled  through  the  tears  at  Bell,  who 
already  had  her  in  her  arms,  and  declared 
she  could  not  let  her  go  ;  while  Will  and  Kitty 
pulled  at  her  gown,  and  cried  frantically  that 
Hilda  was  theirs,  and  should  never  go  away, 
never  at  all.  Mrs.  Merry  weather  smoothed 
her  hair,  and  murmured  kind,  understand 
ing  words  in  a  low  tone;  and  Gertrude  sat 
down  on  the  ground  and  wept  piteously. 


HILDEGARDE'S  NEIGHBORS.  283 

«  Oh,"  said  Hilda  to  all  these  good  friends, 
"  you  know  it  is  not  because  I  don't  want 
to  go  to  my  blessed  mother;  of  course  you 
all  know  that  —  ' 

"Of  course  we  do,  dear!"  cried  Bell  and 
her  mother,  soothingly.  "  Of  course  you 
want  to  go,  and  we  ought  to  want  you  to 
go;  but  we  don't;  and  it  has  come  so 
quickly,  and  all." 

"  And  we  were  going  to  the  Painted  Rocks 
to-morrow!"  cried  Phil. 

Gerald  began  to  mutter  something  under 
his  breath  about 

"Little  Gerald  was  my  brudder, 
Merry  Mater  was  my  mudder, 
Nebber  heard  ob  any  udder." 

But  his  adaptation  was  checked  by  a  look 
from  his  mother,  and  he  relapsed  into  gloom. 
"It's  a  horrid,  atrocious  shame!"  he  said. 
"I  can't  help  it,  and  Hilda  needn't  speak 
to  me  again  if  she  doesn't  want  to;  but  I 


284  HILDEGARDE'S  NEIGHBORS. 

cannot  tell  a  lie,  and  I  am  not  glad  that 
Mrs.  Grahame  has  come  home,  and  I  never 
shall  be." 

"Dear  Jerry!"  said  Hilda.  "We  have 
had  such  good  times,  haven't  we  ?  And  you 
will  be  coming  back,  you  know,  to  town 
some  day,  and  I  shall  hear  all  about  the 
merrymakings  —  " 

But  here  her  voice  broke,  and  deeply 
ashamed  of  herself,  she  hurried  into  the 
house  to  put  her  things  together.  The  kind 
Merryweathers  went  with  her,  and  vied  with 
each  other  in  helping  her  make  her  prepara 
tions.  Since  it  must  be,  it  should  be  as 
cheerfully  done  as  possible;  so  Bell  packed 
her  trunk,  and  Gertrude  buttered  bread  with 
ardour,  that  Hilda  might  have  luncheon 
before  she  went;  a  good  many  tears  fell 
into  the  butter,  but  Hilda  said  she  did  not 
mind  that. 

Soon,  too  soon,  alas!  all  was  ready;   the 


HILDEGARDE'S  NEIGHBORS  285 

little  trunk  packed  and  strapped,  and  Hilda 
in  jacket  and  hat  —  the  first  time  in  a  month 
that  she  had  worn  either  —  smiling  as  well 
as  she  could,  and  kissing  and  shaking  hands, 
almost  in  silence. 

Mr.  Merry  weather  had  just  come  up  from 
the  boathouse,  and  joined  his  regrets  to  the 
general  chorus. 

"  And  who  is  the  captain  of  this  black- 
sailed  ship  that  carries  our  little  girl  away 
from  us?"  he  asked.  "Are  you  going  to 
drive  her  in,  Gerald  ?  " 

"No,  father,"  said  Gerald,  hastily.  "I 
think  Roger  is  going  in." 

"  Yes,"  said  Roger ;  "  I  am  going  in, 
Miles." 

"  Oh !  "  said  Mr.  Merryweather.  "  Is  there 
anything  special  you  want  to  see  to  in 
town,  Roger  ?  " 

"Why  —  no;  I  am  going  for  —  " 

"Then,   if  it's  all   the  same,  suppose  you 


286  HILDEGARDE'S  NEIGHBORS. 

let  Phil  drive  Hilda  in.  I  want  your  help 
this  afternoon,  very  much,  on  the  Keewaydin. 
The  boys  aren't  quite  strong  enough  to 
tackle  her.  What  do  you  say,  Hilda  ?  You 
would  just  as  lief  have  Phil,  I  dare  say, 
and  it  will  be  a  treat  to  him." 

What  could  our  poor  dear  Hilda  say  ? 
What  could  she  do  but  smile  her  assent, 
when  she  saw  Phil's  honest  face  radiant 
with  pleasure  ? 

Gerald,  after  looking  round  in  vain  for 
his  mother  and  Bell,  who  had  gone"  into 
the  house  to  get  something,  did  indeed 
mutter  that  he  wanted  Phil  dreadfully,  to 
do  something  of  great  importance,  it  did 
not  appear  precisely  what ;  but  he  was 
promptly  set  down  by  his  father. 

Roger  Merry  weather  stood  silent.  The 
habit  of  giving  way  to  others,  of  letting 
the  youngsters  have  all  the  pleasure  possi 
ble,  and  taking  the  workaday  parts  of  life 


HILDEGARDE'S  NEIGHBORS.  287 

for  himself,  was  strong  upon  him.  And 
when  had  he  refused  his  brother  Miles 
anything  ? 

Miles  Merryweather  nodded  in  satisfaction, 
and  went  into  the  house  to  get  his  letters. 

"  I  am  going  to  send  Phil  in  with  Hilda, 
instead  of  Roger,"  he  announced,  cheerfully. 
"  Is  there  anything  —  " 

"  Oh,  father,  how  could  you  ?  "  cried  Bell, 
springing  to  her  feet. 

"  How  could  I  what  ? "  asked  her  father. 
"Miranda,  have  you  any  errands  for  Phil 
to  do?" 

He  looked  at  his  wife,  and  opened  his 
eyes  wide ;  for  the  placid  woman  was  ruffling 
all  over,  like  an  angry  partridge. 

"  Don't  speak  to  me,  Miles  Merryweather ! " 
she  cried.  "  Don't  dare  to  say  a  word  to 
me  !  You  are  a  great  stupid,  stupid,  —  and 
Roger  is  another !  Why  I  ever  married 
into  such  a  family- 


288  HILDEGARDE'S  NEIGHBORS. 

She  ruffled  away  out  of  the  house  ;  Bell 
hurried  after  her  without  a  word,  only  cast 
ing  a  reproachful  glance  at  her  father  as 
she  went.  Mr.  Merry  weather  stood  still  in 
utter  bewilderment. 

"  Are  these  people  mad  ?  "  he  said.  "  What 
on  earth  is  the  matter  ?  Gerald,  will  you 
give  these  letters  to  Phil,  and  tell  him  — 
now  what  is  the  matter  with  you,  I  should 
like  to  know?" 

For  Gerald's  bright  face  was  clouded  over 
with  unmistakable  ill-humour,  —  a  circum 
stance  so  amazing  that  one  might  well 
wonder.  He  actually  scowled  at  his  father, 
whom  he  adored. 

"  Donki  foolumque  cano  !  "  he  said.  "  No 
disrespect  to  anybody,  sir,  but  I  am  thinking 

of  emigrating.     This  family  is  too  much  for 

» 
me. 

He  stalked  out  again,  leaving  Mr.  Merry- 
weather  more  puzzled  than  ever. 


HILDEGARDE'S  NEIGHBORS.  289 

"  Decidedly,  they  are  mad  ! "  he  murmured. 
"  Thank  goodness,  there  is  one  sensible  head 
among  all  these  feathertops !  Oh,  here  you 
are,  Roger !  Give  these  letters  to  Phil,  will 
you,  please,  and  tell  him  not  to  forget  the 
mail/' 

Roger  took  the  letters,  and  laughed.  His 
cheek  was  slightly  flushed,  and  his  eyes 
danced  with  something  very  unlike  their 
usual  calm  intelligence.  "  All  right !  "  he 
said.  "  Give  me  the  letters,  Miles.  They 
shall  be  mailed."  He  took  the  packet,  and 
started  to  leave  the  room,  but  turned  back 
for  a  moment,  to  lay  his  hand  affectionately 
on  his  brother's  shoulder.  "I  am  a  codger, 
Miles,"  he  said,  "but  —  do  you  know  —  I 
think  you  are  a  bit  of  a  codger,  too.  It  runs 
in  the  blood,  I  suppose.  Good-by,  old  fellow! 
and  let  the  Keewaydin  wait  until  to-morrow, 
will  you  ?  " 

He  ran  out.  His  brother,  now  speechless, 
u 


290  HILDEGARDE'S  NEIGHBORS 

followed  him  :  saw  him  put  Phil  aside  with  a 
word  and  a  smile  ;  saw  him  lift  Hildegarde 
lightly  into  the  wagon,  and  take  his  seat 
beside  her ;  saw  the  girl,  her  face  bright  as  a 
flower,  leaning  forward  to  say  farewell,  and 
the  other  faces  crowding  round  her,  eager, 
loving,  sorrowful ;  saw  handkerchiefs  and  caps 
waving,  and  heard  the  cries  of  "  Good-by, 
dear  Hilda  !  Come  again  !  Oh,  come  back  to 
us  soon !  " 

Then  the  woods  closed  in  behind  the 
carriage  and  it  was  gone. 

Gerald  looked  long  after  it;  then  he 
advanced  to  the  middle  of  the  piazza,  and 
deliberately  turned  three  back  somersaults. 

"  Would  anybody  like  to  tread  on  the 
tail  of  my  coat?"  he  said,  joyously.  "Phil, 
you  are  a  double-barrelled,  self -revolving 
idiot,  but  I  love  you.  Join  me,  then,  in 
three  cheers  for  the  Codger.  Long  may  he 
wave!  Now,  then,  hip,  hip,  hurrah!" 


HILDEGARDE'S  NEIGHBORS.  291 

"  Hurrah !  "  cried  Phil,  who  had  received 
enlightenment  in  some  way,  and  was  beam 
ing  like  his  brother. 

"  Hurrah  !  "  cried  Mrs.  Merry  weather  and 
Bell  in  concert,  fixing  eyes  of  triumph  on 
their  husband  and  father. 

"  Hurrah  it  is,  doubtless,"  said  Mr.  Merry- 
weather,  looking  slightly  nettled,  —  a  rare 
thing  in  the  most  cheerful  of  men.  "  But 
may  I  ask  why  my  arrangements  are 
changed  without  a  word  to  me  ?  I  in 
tended  that  Phil  should  - 

"  Dear  Miles ! "  said  his  wife.  "  I  am 
sorry  I  called  you  names." 

"Dear  papa!"  said  the  Merry  weathers  in 
chorus ;  "  we  all  love  you  so  much !  " 

"And  were  you  ever  young?"  asked  Mrs. 
Merryweather-,  no  longer  swelling,  partridge- 
like,  but  taking  her  husband's  arm  with  her 
sweetest  smile. 

"  And  did  you  ever  see  a  girl  you  liked, 


292  HILDEGARDE'S  NEIGHBORS. 

Miles  Merryweather  ?  and  if  you  ever  had, 
would  you  have  let  another  boy  drive  her 
In  town  while  the  breath  was  in  you? 
Would  you?" 

"  Oh  ! "  said  Miles  Merryweather. 


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